Aughtsterion

X (2022) Mar 23, 2022

In a rare moment for the Aughts pod, Sam and Jordan are of two different minds in this episode all about the new movie X. "But X...?" you're wondering. "How is this Aughtsterion material?" Well, the short answer is: Their pod their rules! But the longer one is, Ti West was part of the great indie surge of the late 2000s, making him a legacy character in the discourse about the time. And besides, it gives your co-hosts a chance to talk about the historical intersection of horror and porn — and not the softcore variety that briefly flourished in the millennium era. So, let's talk queerness in straight horror, the role of the audience in shaping the meaning of a film, and that one movie from West he really wishes you could just forget ever existed. Shouts out to Mia Goth and Brittany Snow! You ladies are fucking stars!

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

My Super Psycho Sweet 16: Part 2 (2010) Mar 02, 2022

It's that time again, Aughts fans! It's time to celebrate Sam's birthday with the franchise he is making an American slasher tradition: My Super Psycho Sweet 16. In what's become an annual event for Aughtsterion, your co-hosts have gathered for the Pisces treat of talking about the best horror franchise you haven't been watching religiously, starring the final girl you never knew you needed to be celebrating. Lauren McKnight returns as Skye Rotter in Part 2 of the series, and now she's on the lam. Bodies are all over the floor at the Roller Dome. Her dad is back from oblivion and picking off teens again, and now he's obsessed with a new goal — getting the family back together again after Skye runs to the mom that abandoned her and the [step?]sister she didn't even know existed. Brigg is fired up to defend the honor of his girl. Derek sucks; his new "girlfriend" sucks even more. And we've got a new mean girl in town. Here's to Sam's Super Birthday. We're gonna party at the BONEYARD.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Minisode — Scream 6! Feb 04, 2022

Fire up that siren, Aughts fans, because Scream 6 is a go! Sam, Jordan, and the millions of others who drove the film to box office success have been clamoring for more since seeing the fifth film, and now that the good word is out, your co-hosts have some feelings they wanted to process about this welcome sequel news. Feelings like: It's ok if Sidney is done now, Bring Back Kirby and Stu!, and "Give us more gays!" Sorry, Woodsboro. Your nightmare isn't over yet.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

BONUS — I Know What You Did... In Episode 8 Jan 25, 2022

Alas, the time has come, the time to say goodbye to our friends on Dylan Island. I Know What You Did Last Summer the series became a beloved part of the Aughts pod, and Sam and Jordan will miss all their friends — especially Margot — as they gaze off the bluff and out over the ocean of Not Renewed Television Shows. In the end, this show delivered, and your co-hosts are here to celebrate the top tier performances from Brianne Tju and Madison Iseman, the show's persistent lack of interest in follow up questions, surprise erotic thrillers, incredible villain monologues, constant queerness, and everything else that made IKWYDLS event programming for those who Get It. And that's tea.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Scream (2022) — Part II Jan 20, 2022

As Sam and Jordan move into their second hour of conversation about new Scream, the excitement level rises as they relive how the film really hits its stride in the back half. We get to see new franchise all stars like Jasmin Savoy Brown and Melissa Barrera shine, we get to see villains run amuck, and we get to see Sidney and Gale take no shit while they guide our young heroes through the foreboding halls of Stu Macher's house. The verdict is: Bring on Scream 6!

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Scream (2022) — Part I Jan 19, 2022

By definition, Aughtsterion doesn't make it a point to cover new movies, but it would be a dereliction of purpose for Sam and Jordan to not sit down and hash out their every little thought about the latest in the franchise that really started this whole podcast: Scream. Your co-hosts hit the theater together to watch part 5 (at least in Jordan's view) the greatest horror franchise of all time, and they had so many thoughts it ended up making for the longest record in pod history. So, here is the first hour of two on Nü Scream, which considers the new film as a tale of two halves and get into all the most important details, like the precedent shattering cold open, the many shades of Kyle Gallner's hotness, the ways in which Sam and Jordan struggled with the new entry balanced against how much they enjoyed it. And of course... how incredible Neve Campbell's entire performance run as Sidney Prescott has been. Kirby truthers, it's your time to shine!

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Minisode — The Yellowjackets Finale Jan 18, 2022

Yellowjackets may not be an Aughts era show based on the year it debuted, but it sure is an Aughts era show since it's half set in 1996! Sam and Jordan are simply obsessed with the season 1 finale of the breakout series, and have to process their feelings over Jackie and Shauna and best friend breakups and the most shocking horror of all. They're processing grief, so you're coming along for the ride.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Aughtsmas — New Year’s Eve (2011) Dec 31, 2021

For the final Aughtsmas episode of the pod, Sam and Jordan are talking about the hit movie based on the success of a movie that came out almost a decade before it: the Love Actually inspired holiday rom-com New Year's Eve from 2011. This movie is like the second layer of carbon paper on a document with attached copies. This movie is like a 2007 Taylor Swift cover of a George Michael Christmas song. This movie is everything, and it is nothing, and it is very important that your co-hosts discuss it for a very long time. From the twists and turns of what happens behind the scenes at the Times Square ball drop to a sudden, late-movie pop in from Alyssa Milano to a Lea Michele/Bon Jovi duet to Cherry Jones holding a dog and not doing much else, this Garry Marshall movie has so much going on that it is introducing new characters until the very last minute, and insisting that all second chances are valid as long as you take them before the clock strikes 12:00 on New Year's Eve. And never forget: You can't move midnight!

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Aughtsmas — Love Actually (2003) Dec 25, 2021

Love Actually is many things — a millennial Christmas classic, a problematic fave, a time capsule that glamorizes abuse of power in the workplace as romantic, an R-rated rom com, a surprisingly queer positive (well, considering the context...) string of love stories, etc. — and while Sam and Jordan couldn't possibly cover everything there is to talk about regarding this modern holiday staple, they are going to cover a lot of ground. (And they're also going to talk a lot about Mariah Carey.) For this episodes, your co-hosts confront the all important question: Love, actually?? With so many stories within this story, Love Actually couldn't possibly be the cultural monolith it's talked about as being, which is exactly why Aughtsterion is here to guide you through a re-appraisal of this sticky millennium-era mega hit. Praise be to Keira Knightley's name.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Aughtsmas — Your Next 2000s Christmas Playlist Dec 24, 2021

For your second annual Aughtsterion Christmas Mix, Sam and Jordan are switching gears big time from last year's compilation. They're not going on a Lohan Holiday. They're not doing the Christmas Macarena. They're turning almost all the way down and getting indie and emo. Have you heard the bells on Christmas day yet? Have you ever spent a melancholy Christmas by the Bay? Do you want to get weepy with The Weepies? Well good, because they're here with their gently jingling bells and truckloads of soft feelings. It's a very Aughts Xmas, but this time, we're checking most of the excess at the door. Let's cry!

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

BONUS — I Know What You Did... in Episode 7 Dec 20, 2021

It's been a minute, but don't worry: Sam and Jordan are still watching I Know What You Did Last Summer, and they are still getting their lives from it. Episode 7 is massive, with a shocking death, a shocking time jump, a shocking confession, and a shocking lack of interest by anyone in where Dylan disappeared to when he left Margot's! There's also a group funeral and a drug trip at a local carnival, so truly: This episode has everything, and we've got a lot to process about the big revelation Alison decides to make at a super strange time. Get your crime mirrors out, because this mystery isn't solved yet!

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Aughtsmas — The Christmas List (1997) Dec 18, 2021

Aughtsmas might have started with the shiny studio fare of the 2000s, but now Sam and Jordan are taking it back to an unsung hero of the 1990s: Mimi Rogers as the scent savant Melody Parris in The Christmas List. She is the most normal woman to ever have a Christmas, and she's an icon! Your co-hosts are talking about how no matter what, Melody is just fine, 3rd grade teacher vibes, petty gay boys, and the thrill of spontaneously driving through Chinatown at 11 o'clock at night! And this is a very special episode, because if you listen to the very end you can hear a new original Christmas song by Sam. We must be dreamin'!

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Aughtsmas — Just Friends (2005) Dec 10, 2021

Happy Aughtsmas, everyone! For this mini season, Sam and Jordan are diverging into Sam's passion for holiday movies and spotlighting some of the millennium era's most crucial Christmas titles. And they're kicking off the month with one of Jordan's all time favorite comedies: Just Friends. Straight from the Halcyon days of the Ryan Reynolds romantic lead epoch, this entry from 2005 is a slept on classic. Your co-hosts talk about our inexplicable cultural interest in pick up artists in the aughts, the power of Anna Faris, the appeal of villainous Chris Klein, and whether or not we are in a golden age of Christmas cinema (or at least Christmas content??). It's the Happiest Season, everyone, and by that we also mean the saddest season. So put on your Samantha James records and let's go party at The Maple.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Season 2 Superlatives Nov 30, 2021

We did it, Aughts fam. Another season in the books, and that means it's time for Sam and Jordan to take stock of the most recent slate of films and honor the best of the best. The picks on offer here are all timers, hall of famers, the 1% of the 1%. Can anyone challenge Leah Pipes for title of best supporting actress? Can anyone take the crown and sash from Megan Fox as the season's — and the era's — best actress? What was the most purely Aughts moment of them all? Are we ready to call best Aughts movie of all time after just two seasons of the pod? You can find it all out here, and also catch a little surprise vocal drop in from little Ali Lohan. Because this is the premiere show about the intersection of horror and millennium era pop culture, and we will always provide for you.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

BONUS — I Know What You Did... in Episode 6 Nov 24, 2021

In the Aughts pod coverage of I Know What You Did Last Summer episode 6, Sam and Jordan have come to fight. Why? Because not only does Riley go out, she goes out in the worst possible way. The level of disrespect shown to our little drug dealer with a heart of gold might be unforgivable, but your co-hosts are, simultaneously, over the moon about Margot's increasing competitiveness with Dylan and her fierce protectiveness of "Lennon." We love this little queer pixie! But there's so much more ground to cover here, like the truth about the Alison's "dead" mom, the truth about the sea cave, the truth about the honey in the promotional posters, and the truth about why Dylan won't stop being a dick to Riley — just kidding. We still don't know about that last one cause Dylan just sucks.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

BONUS — I Know What You Did... in Episode 5 Nov 23, 2021

Welcome, listeners, to episode 5 coverage of Dylan Island, more commonly known as I Know What You Did Last Summer the TV show! Our group of little liars is setting out for some adventures in this chapter, including exploring the ruins of the local defunct cult and also sitting through some really lackluster interrogations with local law enforcement. (Sheriff Lyla can do better! We are sure of this!) The big questions this time around? What the hell is Dylan's problem with Riley? No seriously — what the fuck is his deal?! What are any of the people who are being killed in this show being killed? And as always... will we finally be right about the secret triplet?! Let's discuss!

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Scream 4 (2011) Nov 12, 2021

For the season 2 finale of Aughtsterion, Sam and Jordan are getting you emotionally ready for the arrival of fifth Scream with its lately reappraised precursor, Scream 4. Your co-hosts are covering the finely aged qualities of Wes Craven's final film — including the triple cold open and Jill's proclamation that she doesn't need FRIENDS she needs FANS — as well as some of those crucial wiffs, like when the movie tried to tell us in 2011 that gay rights had been achieved in horror. But that also leads to the this episode's biggest theme: What was the state of queer horror at the start of the 2010s, what was Scream 4's place in it, and what is the legacy of this title that took 10 years to get its just reconsideration? Sam and Jordan are here to address all these questions, and also to say: CLEAR!

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

BONUS — I Know What You Did... in Episode 4 Nov 10, 2021

Sam and Jordan are four episodes into I Know What You Did Last Summer the show, and they're wondering more and more: Why does Riley exist to tell us about Dylan as she addresses Dylan directly to his face? Is this a secret triplet situation? Who is Alison and Lennon's mother really? And... why Harold?? This is the installment where IKWYDLS goes full Pretty Little Liars, and where the show cements its full throated queerness. Your co-hosts are here to say "More Margot!" and "Less Dylan!"

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

BONUS — I Know What You Did... in Episode 3 Nov 09, 2021

In episode 3 of I Know What You Did Last Summer, the bodies are starting to pile up. Our gang of little liars is on edge, and paranoid that the body they thought they left for dead in that cave after graduation last year actually came back to life and is now hunting them all down. Alison continues to be a half assed Lennon at best, but we love her for it. Co-host Sam is starting to have increasingly wild theories about what Margot does and does not know. And the show continues to gaslight us about what a good guy Dylan is. Lies! Meanwhile, Jordan just wants real Lennon back so these sisters can reconcile! Now, let's unpack "A Gorilla Head Will Not Do."

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

BONUS — I Know What You Did...in Episode 2 Oct 25, 2021

The second episode of IKWYDLS on Prime thankfully mellows out on the teen speak and gets more grounded than the raucous party scene of the first, and it's also got some emotionally dense father-daughter time between "Lennon" and her dad. Sam and Jordan are back on the scene to walk through it all with you, from the *many* salt licks Dylan is setting up in his backyard to Johnny's gay engagement to smoking as a character trait to the insane episode titles this show is running with. You needed an official Last Summer post-show, and the Aughts team has come to the rescue.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Final Destination 5 (2011) Oct 22, 2021

This episode of the Aughts pod is a special one, because your co-hosts are discussing a pick that is extra near and dear to Sam's heart. It's time to break ground on the Final Destination franchise, but not with the Devon Sawa original. No, in characteristic fashion we're going to kick it off with FD5 — which happens to be the entry with the highest critical rating of them all. Sam is bound and determined to let you know why you shouldn't have slept on this movie, which he considers to be a quintessential Aughtsterion title, and it's going to involve discussion of viral videos, the gay screenwriter boom in horror at the end of the 1990s, the straight gaze of studio executives, and of course... that twist! Make sure to sweep your balance beam for stray screws, friends.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

BONUS — I Know What You Did... in Episode 1 Oct 21, 2021

A quintessential millennium era horror title has been revived as a series, and Sam and Jordan have decided they have no choice but to cover it. I Know What You Did Last Summer is now streaming on Prime, and it's ignoring your nostalgia while screaming, "We are modern teens!" This show is a mess, but it's the kind of mess your co-hosts love, and it's also got hot queer characters making big impressions from the jump. Will this show turn supernatural? Is it a shadow sequel to Pretty Little Liars? Will we be mercifully freed from the character of Dylan, or must we suffer him throughout the entire season? Let the speculation and analysis begin.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Sorority Row (2009) Oct 01, 2021

In some ways, this is a very special episode of Aughtsterion, because it revolves around a movie that is truly a mega-mix of the decade. Sorority Row is the melting pot of everything superficial and calloused about the 2000s, but executed in such a way as to make it deliciously addictive and a hell of a good time. It's cruel, in poor taste, hilarious, and has a soundtrack that hits as hard as the movie kills. It has the era's most preposterous weapon. It has the patriarchy as the enemy. It has Carrie Fisher toting a shotgun around, and it has a God tier Mean Girl performance courtesy of Leah Pipes. Row is a time capsule of the worst of us from the aughts, and yet its strange alchemy makes it some of the best that millennium era horror has to offer. Cheers, sluts. We're going to the foam party.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Minisode — Blame It On The Pop Sep 30, 2021

Do you ever just start talking about 2009 and realize you've been talking for far longer than one episode of a podcast should allow? As you might imagine, Sam and Jordan find themselves in that position often, which is how you end up with a minisode all about DJ Earworm mega-mixes, Britney Spears chart toppers, and the emergence of Grindr. Your hosts are in a house with 50 crazy bitches in useless belts, and they've got a lot to tell you.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Scream 3 (2000) Sep 10, 2021

If you wondered when Sam and Jordan would start covering the Scream franchise, you must have always suspected — as a devout Aughtsterion listener — that the conversation would begin with the least loved entry in the series. Because what are Sam and Jordan about if not a passionate reclamation project? So here it is, horror fans: The Scream 3 episode, and your co-hosts are not shying away from the big topics. As always, they map out the pop culture context surrounding the film, and of course, they give Parker Posey her flowers for being the franchise's supporting player MVP. But they also make the case that this sequel cannot be evaluated properly unless it's put in conversation with the legacy of convicted sexual predator and disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein. And if you say one god damn disparaging word about Gale's bangs, go ahead and smash that unsubscribe button, because we don't want to hear a word about it.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Inside (2007) Sep 03, 2021

This is the first episode of the Aughts pod to take the conversation international, and your hosts couldn't have a better guest for it. Shudder's Director of Programming, Sam Zimmerman, brings his vast genre knowledge to a discussion of Bustillo and Maury's New French Extremity touchstone: 2007's Inside. Jordan, Sam and Sam dig into the differences between French torture and American torture in the 2000s, the singular presence of Béatrice Dalle, the importance of baby POV, and — if you know you know — a little bit of Aly & AJ. Oh and also, there's a slight switch up to the talking format due to some unforeseen circumstances that have made this a, shall we say, high concept episode of Aughtsterion in its execution. Just listen and find out what that means.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) Aug 27, 2021

Grab your best white tank top and get ready to go back in time, because we have a 2000s "period piece" to discuss on this episode of the Aughts pod. Joining your faithful co-hosts this time around are screenwriter Michael Kennedy and artist Nay Bever, which makes this a full scale Attack of the Queerwolf podcast reunion special as the group convenes to discuss The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The first movie in the new millennium to reboot the Chainsaw universe, TCM '03 was also the first remake to land from one of the decade's genre powerhouses: Platinum Dunes, the production company that is extremely notable for the fact that it belongs to Michael Bay. Starring Jessica Biel — the VP of the Tank Top Horror ticket alongside President Eliza Dushku — Eric Balfour, and the lowest riding bootcut jeans you can find, this is the chartreuse glazed originator of the post-9/11 reboot wave. Find out from our guests how this blockbuster put the nail in the coffin of 90s horror, and why titles from the 1970s were the best fit for horror's last days of wild excess.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Minisode — The Paris Hilton Top 10 Aug 17, 2021

Among Sam's many doctorates in 2000s history, one of them is a PhD in Paris Hilton. So, in this first minisode of season 2, he's doing a bit of public service and counting down the heiress of record's 10 best songs. Spanning nearly two decades, Sam is looking beyond her flagship hit "Stars Are Blind" — recently made re-famous by Promising Young Woman — and opening up a world of wonders to Aughtsterion fans. And of course, because this is a podcast about the historical significance of millennium era pop culture, your co-hosts also make the case for Paris as the standard bearer for the decade's discourse, with a life and career arc that moves nearly in lockstep to illustrate the cultural mores of the time. She was the most famous woman in the world. She was ubiquitous. She was reviled. She was a self-generating empire, and she was and is a pop star whose best tracks you haven't paid enough respect to. There's nothing in this world quite like Paris.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

House of Wax (2005) Aug 13, 2021

It's a big moment on the Aughts pod, because Sam and Jordan are tackling one of the crown jewels of the era: Jaume Collet-Serra's 2005 spectacular, House of Wax. This. Movie. Has. Everything. There's a premium-tier soundtrack, lost-to-time elaborate set pieces, audaciously gory kills, white tank tops, the absolute peak of 2000s horror stunt casting in Paris Hilton, and somehow even more. And as you know if you're a longtime Aughts listener, all of this comes courtesy of the decade soaring at its highest heights in 2005. It's the pride before the fall of 2007. It's the heart of the millennium era's genre maximalism, and it is an undeniable classic.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000) Aug 06, 2021

If you know Sam Wineman at all, you know he's long championed Urban Legends: Final Cut as the superior film in the one-two punch slasher property from the turn of the new millennium. And now, it will finally be entered into the hallowed Aughtsterion library. Higher on concept on the first film but less well know, Final Cut skewers film school, gives Loretta Divine's treasured Reese a little more room to stretch, takes us on a small tour of brutalist architecture, and of course, teaches us the meaning of working in a collaborative medium. And because this pod is all about examining movies within the pop culture context of their arrival, your hosts also talk about Y2K, the Real Slim Shady, and the nearing end of the 90s horror revival. So give us a loud fuck teaching! and settle in for a new episode.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Jennifer's Body (2009) Jul 09, 2021

Sam and Jordan are just two episodes into the second season of the Aughts pod, but this one has already been a long time coming. In this installment, your devoted 2000s historians examine the great and power Jennifer's Body through the lens of the era's misogynist boy-run media climate. You might have heard Jordan discuss the movie before (a lot?) but you've never heard her talk about it with Sam while he uses Tucker Max and revenge porn blogs to elucidate why the culture was so primed to destroy Body immediately upon arrival. But with the reclamation project for this horror comedy classic having achieved Justice for Jennifer's Body, your hosts are here to talk about Megan Fox's virtuoso performance, the joys of deeply queer language, and friendship love affairs. Cheers to all you bi icons out there.

Produced by: Jordan

Music by: Sam

Sick Girl (2006) Jul 01, 2021

Aughts junkies! Sam and Jordan are back for season 2 of your absolute favorite podcast about the intersection of horror movies and pop culture around the turn of the new millennium. You've been in the dark, but they are now shining a light upon you with the help of writer and director and friend of the show, Vivienne Vaughn, who is bringing Lucky McKee's "Sick Girl" episode of the Masters of Horror anthology series for a much closer look. It's just a take on that classic story of girl meets girl, girl receives strange superbug in the mail, girl gets impregnated by superbug, and chaos ensues. It's gay. It's weird. It's pure Lucky McKee, and even though it's not a feature film, Sam and Jordan are breaking form for a TV special on this most special occasion of season 2's debut. Welcome back, everyone!

Produced by: Jordan

Music by: Sam

Bonus Episode — My Super Psycho Sweet 16 (2009) Feb 25, 2021

Surprise, Aughts addicts! Season 1 might be over, but Jordan and Sam have some celebrating to do for his birthday. And in true Sam fashion, he wanted to spend it talking all about horror and celebrity culture of the 2000s. In this bonus installment of your favorite podcast, your co-hosts go long on the bioluminescence of Chris Zylka, the meaning of the word scene, and even on the insidious beta nerd best friend boy archetype that has marred so much of pop culture since his ignominious rise in the late 1990s. AFI is singing "Miss Murder" and all the actors are on roller skates. Enjoy this exploration of the no-one's-seen-it millennium era classic that was spun off of a craven piece MTV IP. Does it get more aughts than that?!

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Season 1 Superlatives Feb 11, 2021

As the Oscars announces its short lists and high profile bodies like the Golden Globes and the SAGs reveal their nominees, awards season is in full swing, which is why Jordan and Sam have come together for an honors event of their own. After a season of pop culture deep dives and singing the praises of under-appreciated aughts starlets, your co-hosts will now honor the very best that this first slate of episodes has to offer. Who will take home the honor of Best Actor? Which movie will rise above the rest as Best Picture? Who will win Best Best Friend and what was the season's single Best Line Delivery? Sam and Jordan will answer all that in more, with no Very Sad Mystery left unconsidered.

And as ever: It's important.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Drag Me To Hell (2009) Jan 28, 2021

After getting us all through election season, Aughtsterion is concluding its first season with an elite level guest. Filmmaker April Wolfe joins Jordan and Sam to discuss Sam Raimi's odd man out of millennium horror with 2009's Drag Me To Hell. This one is a classic of the era by virtue of feeling completely out of place within it, but turns out that not only is this charmingly kitschy story of a demonic curse a little marvel of daylight horror with excellent performances from Alison Lohman and company, it's also... a passing story that's partly about the ills of capitalism. Listen to find out how Sam ties Miley Cyrus to the whole thing, and to hear April describe why Raimi is an eminently American filmmaker.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Valentine (2001) Jan 21, 2021

This episode of Aughtsterion may not have Sam, but it does have guest host Kalyn Corrigan and plenty of discussion about Denise Richards. And that's not just because she's an icon; it's because she's an icon in the 2001 slasher Valentine. Riding ride up against the bifurcated zone in Millennium Horror that was split apart by the events of 9/11, Valentine is a last remnant of the Tank Top Terror era's softer fare — a final bubblegum ensemble piece born of Kevin Williamson's supreme reign over the genre. Though not heralded with the classics like Scream or I Know What You Did Last Summer, Valentine is a gem, a murder movie that's both super entertaining (with a super-charged in her swagger Denise Richards) and an amazing little window into how pop culture would change in the wake of a massive attack within its borders. Horror is life and life is horror.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

The Quiet (2005) Jan 14, 2021

For a wildly unpredictable new year, Sam and Jordan have a wildly unpredictable Aughtsterion coming at you thanks to Jamie Babbit's 2005 meditation on Very Sad Mysteries: The Quiet. This episode is really one for the books you guys, because it finds your co-hosts lobbying for The Quiet as the definitive 2000s anti-erotic thriller while providing you with a huge insider tip for how to get cast in a Sam Wineman feature film. Elisha Cuthbert is saying fuck your girl next door fantasies. Katy Mixon is giving a tour de force mean girl performance. Edie Falco is a tragic "prescript-a-holic", and taken all together, Babbit is leading this ensemble through a blistering commentary on the tropes of patriarchal Lolita lust in genre. If you wrote this movie off before then wake your ass up. It's time to correct the record.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

The Roommate (2011) Jan 07, 2021

In the first episode of 2021, Sam and Jordan have something to teach you, and that something is: You were completely wrong about 2011's The Roommate, starring two true Aughts Princesses in Minka Kelly and Leighton Meester. Plenty of people dismissed the movie as yet another lesser Single White Female upon its release. But what if it's actually... an improvement on that classic forbearer? As always, your co-hosts will make the passionate case for why this movie deserves your time and respect, in addition to laying out why The Roommate is in fact the spiritual end of what we know as 2000s pop culture. Put on your cinnamon lip gloss and get ready to fall in love in the club bathroom. We've got a date with a psychosexual co-living thriller.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008) Dec 31, 2020

It's time for Aughtsterion to go full gay by celebrating both musicals and Paris Hilton with Repo! The Genetic Opera. In this episode, Jordan is joined by theater kid BJ Colangelo (with Sam cheering us on from the ether) to talk about this most ostentatious 2000s time capsule, and make the case for the Oscar is should have won. Get ready to body roll to "Zydrate Anatomy" while you come around to understanding why you were wrong about Paris all those years ago.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Silent Night (2012) Dec 24, 2020

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas, Aughtsterion family! Although the spirit of the season feels a little bit lacking in 2020, Jordan and Sam simply couldn't let the advent calendar go empty without one more chapter of winter wonderland content for you. This time, your co-hosts immerse themselves in the weird and wild world of Silent Night, the 2012 remake of trash Christmas classic Silent Night, Deadly Night. And Sam is taking a BIG SWING on the true meaning of this late era Aughsterion entry. Jordan gets red pilled and Jamie King gets her flowers as we wrap the pod in tinsel and dress it in a too-short sexy Santa dress one more time this year.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

The Craft (1996) Dec 17, 2020

It's time, sleepover horror fans; it's time to go back to the 90s. As Sam and Jordan have established, the arc of Aughtsterion is not limited to the '00 to '10 run of the 2000s proper. Instead, it starts in the year of our lord (Wes Craven) and his landmark movie Scream, which was 1996, the very same year when Neve Campbell took us by storm twice in a pair of teen horror classics. The other of which was: The Craft. To break down this goth touchstone, your co-hosts are joined by a very special guest, Jemma Moore, who you might know from starring in The Host, aka one of 2020's best horror movies. She's done her research on witches, while Sam and Jordan have done their research on Hot Topic. Beware the weirdos, mister, because they're right here.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Minisode — Your 2000s Christmas Playlist Dec 15, 2020

We may not be able to have Christmas parties in 2020, but we can still have solo Christmas dance parties in the confines of our homes. In this minisode, Sam and Jordan put together a dream playlist that will have you thinking of tinsel, Hervé Leger bandage dresses, twinkling lights, and applying thick coats of lip gloss while you listen to holiday tunes from the likes of the Lohan sisters, NSYNC, and even Los Del Río. XMas comes but once a year, and your co-hosts couldn't miss the opportunity to reclaim the lost seasonal jams of the aughts in the midst of their pursuit to Criterion classify their favorite tank top horror movies.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Black Christmas (2006) Dec 10, 2020

Hang your stockings by the chimney with care, and don't forget to leave a gift for Billy under the tree, Aughtsterion fans, because this time around Jordan and Sam are joined by director Chelsea Stardust to discuss Black XMas from 2006. It's got a hall of fame cast, excessive amounts of eye trauma, impeccable Christmas vibes, a bad attitude, and a completely outrageous villain origin story. In other words, it's tank top horror all the way down to its bones. In addition to taking the Christ out of Christmas, Sam, Jordan, and Chelsea are here to call for justice for director Glen Morgan, and for an end to the disrespect heaped on fans of 2000s era terror. Ho ho ho, and in the words of Leigh Colvin, "Fuck you Santa Claus."

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Minisode — When Did XMas Get Gay? Dec 07, 2020

With the holiday season and Hulu's Happiest Season upon us, that means it's time to tap into Sam's other most passionate realm of obsession: Christmas. From the Family Channel specials and straight to video releases of the 2000s through the Freeform, Hallmark, Lifetime, and Netflix entries of the 2010s, Sam looks past the ship wars of Clea DuVall's new holiday hit and takes Jordan on a quick tour of when and how Christmas started becoming XMas, and in the process gives you a programming guide for what to watch as you countdown to the coronavirus sponsored edition of Santa's big day.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

Minisode — Essential Aly & AJ Dec 03, 2020

Sometimes there's just too much aughts to pack into one episode of Aughtsterion, and when that happens we will serve you essential content in minisodes, the first of which features Sam going into manic detail about the five best Aly & AJ songs that don't get enough attention. It's the best time of year, and it's here, because Sam and Jordan are talking about 2000s era pop.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Theme music by: Sam Wineman

I Know Who Killed Me (2007) Dec 03, 2020

Now that you've all had a chance to immerse yourselves in the world of Aughtsterion, Sam and Jordan are pulling you down into the deep end with an obsessively considered reappraisal of the strange angel I Know Who Killed Me, starring not one but two Lindsey Lohans. You co-hosts go further into the cultural significance of 2007, and give you a graduate seminar on Lohan as a case study in the failures of both the media machine and its consumer engine. And like Sam will tell you: This is important.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Music by: Sam Wineman

The Hitcher (2007) Nov 19, 2020

In the debut episode of Aughtsterion, Jordan Crucchiola and Sam Wineman prove they aren't here to f--k around. For their first act of new horror canon consecration, your co-hosts make the case for 21st century The Hitcher, starring Sophia Bush and powered by Nine Inch Nails, as one of the best remakes of all time. (In any genre!) Join in to hear Sam explain his PhD in the year 2007, and to find out why this was the year aughts culture reached its boiling over point. You won't find a better anthropological breakdown of the celebrity blog industrial complex and the significance of Sophia Bush's boots and miniskirt anywhere else.

Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola

Theme music by: Sam Wineman

Welcome To Aughtsterion Nov 16, 2020

We've talked about The Thing. We've read treatises on Rosemary's Baby. We've dissected every last frame of Suspiria. The Classics of horror as defined by mainstream film criticism have had their many days in the sun, but as the Millennial Generation rises to become the dominant next wave of creatives in Hollywood, the time has come to honor the formative genre films that came out at the turn of the 21st century with their tank top-clad heroines, bootcut jeans, chunky highlights, sexy ensemble casts, and that sheen of glistening perspiration that coated nearly every reboot of a storied horror franchise. Hosted by the filmmakers, cultural anthropologists, and friends Sam Wineman and Jordan Crucchiola, this is your definitive reconsideration of 2000s-era horror. This is Aughtsterion.

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