Now Playing Podcast Presents: The Halloween Retrospective Series

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Halloween Ends Oct 18, 2022

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Jamie Lee Curtis tried to move on from the curse of Michael Myers, but another Haddonfield Halloween Ends in blood and screams after granddaughter Allyson goes trick-or-treating with psycho babysitter Corey. Can the franchise’s original boogeyman teach this wannabe anything about being an old school slasher icon, or is Michael wise to keep his face out of this latest installment? Find out if director David Gordon Green has given Carpenter’s legacy a new beginning when you download the latest podcast from Brock, Stuart, and Arnie. Listen now!

Halloween Kills Oct 19, 2021

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Halloween Series Episode 12

It’s easy to blame Haddonfield’s high body count on local boogeyman Michael Myers, but many of the latest Halloween Kills are being committed by a violent mob of formerly decent citizens. Did babysitter Jamie Lee Curtis, terrified kids Anthony Michael Hall and Kyle Richards, and shaky cop Will Patton grow up to become the real monsters of the community? And will Michael approve of the changes made to his sister’s bedroom when he catches up with the current owners of his redecorated house? Listen Now as Arnie, Stuart, and Brock unmask this sequel!

Halloween Oct 24, 2018

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Halloween Series Episode 11

Return to Haddonfield with Brock, Arnie, and Stuart as they celebrate the 40th anniversary of Halloween/ with a podcast review of the blockbuster 2018 requel (rebooted sequel)! Former babysitter Laurie Strode is the one stalking Michael Myers this time, as the captured killer is transferred to a new sanitarium. Can Jamie Lee Curtis’s pistol-packin’ grandma hit the bull’s eye without original director John Carpenter? And will her therapist daughter Karen (Judy Greer), or rebellious grandkid Allyson (Andi Madichak), inherit her Scream Queen title? Listen Now and find out!This podcast may also contains spoilers including plot or ending details.

Halloween II Oct 31, 2009

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Halloween Series Episode 10

White horses. “Knights in White Satin.” Sherri Moon Zombie drifting through dream imagery. Halloween II is Rob Zombie at his most stylized and divisive, a sequel to his 2007 remake that doubles down on brutality, trauma, and surreal symbolism. Abandoning much of the structure of Halloween, this follow-up pushes deeper into psychological horror, fractured identities, and a Loomis who may be as monstrous as the killer he chases. If, as Loomis declares, “Bad taste is the petrol that fuels the American dream,” then this movie runs on premium. As Now Playing Podcast concludes its Halloween retrospective series, the hosts examine whether this sequel to a remake can justify its existence or if it proves some legends should remain untouched.

Halloween Oct 24, 2009

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Halloween Series Episode 9

After a long run of sequels with wildly inconsistent results, Michael Myers gets a 21st-century overhaul in 2007’s Halloween, directed by Rob Zombie. Blending Zombie’s grimy, exploitation-influenced style, previously seen in House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects, with the framework of John Carpenter’s 1978 classic, this version expands Michael’s backstory while retelling the familiar Haddonfield massacre. Part prequel, part remake, and fully committed to Zombie’s aesthetic, the film also casts Malcolm McDowell as Dr. Loomis, stepping into one of horror’s most recognizable roles. Does this reimagining successfully modernize Halloween for a new audience, or does digging deeper into Myers’ origins strip away the mystery that made him terrifying? The hosts weigh whether this bold reset pays off, or if the franchise should have stuck with its previous path.

Halloween: Resurrection Oct 17, 2009

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Halloween Series Episode 8

What happens when you throw reality TV, early-2000s internet culture, martial arts, and Michael Myers into a blender? You get Halloween: Resurrection. Despite the previous film’s seemingly definitive ending, The Shape is back again, this time stalking a live-streamed haunted house event designed to cash in on Haddonfield’s bloody history. Featuring Busta Rhymes (Higher Learning) delivering roundhouse kicks and reality-show chaos front and center, Resurrection leans hard into the trends of its era. But does this attempt at a modern, “hip” reimagining inject new life into the franchise, or does it finally push the series past the point of no return? The hosts step into the house one more time to decide whether this revival was inspired or ill-advised.

Halloween H20: 20 Years Later Oct 10, 2009

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Halloween Series Episode 7

Twenty years after the night he came home, Jamie Lee Curtis reprises her iconic Laurie Strode role in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later. Ignoring several previous sequels, this entry aims to reset the timeline and give Laurie a final confrontation with her masked brother. With the late-’90s slasher revival in full swing and the influence of hotshot screenwriter Kevin Williamson, H20 tries to blend classic Halloween tension with the sharper, self-aware tone audiences embraced after Scream. Does this legacy sequel deliver the showdown fans had waited two decades for, or does it rely too heavily on trend-chasing and nostalgia? The hosts examine whether this return to form truly makes you scream, or merely echoes past glories.

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers Oct 03, 2009

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Halloween Series Episode 6

Michael Myers returns yet again in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, and this time the franchise dives headfirst into ancient curses, secret cults, and the mysterious Man in Black teased in the previous film. The infamous Thorn storyline attempts to explain the unexplainable, layering druids and destiny onto what was once a simple shape in the shadows. If that already sounds complicated, just wait! Between the theatrical cut and the later Producer’s Cut, there are two different versions of this movie, each trying to make sense of the chaos. Can the Now Playing Podcast hosts untangle the mythology and find something coherent in this sixth installment, or does the curse extend to the audience as well?

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers Sep 26, 2009

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Halloween Series Episode 5

Michael Myers returns once again in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, the fifth chapter in the long-running franchise. Picking up after the events of Halloween 4, the film promises answers about Jamie Lloyd, Michael’s masked rampage, and the mysterious figures lurking in the shadows. But instead of clarity, audiences get a strange man in a trench coat, cryptic symbols, and a few head-scratching detours along the way. Does Halloween 5 build suspense and deepen the mythology, or does it pile on confusion in place of scares? The hosts sort through the masks, the mayhem, and the mysteries to see whether this revenge story earns its place in the series.

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers Sep 19, 2009

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Halloween Series Episode 4

After the detour of a Halloween film without Michael Myers, the franchise makes its intentions crystal clear with Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. The title says it all: the Shatner-masked icon is back, front and center, and the series is once again betting everything on The Shape stalking Haddonfield. But does bringing Myers back also bring the franchise back to form? Is this a worthy return to the tension and simplicity that made the early films classics, or just a familiar face in a weaker sequel? The hosts look at the new characters, the body count, and whether Halloween 4 earns its “return” or merely repeats it.

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