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The Movie Crypt — TV & Film
The Movie Crypt

Filmmakers Adam Green (FROZEN, the HATCHET franchise), Joe Lynch (MAYHEM, EVERLY), and Arwen the Yorkie host this inspirational and educational program that offers a fully comprehensive look at the entertainment industry, the artistic process, and the enduring struggle of not giving up on your dreams. By candidly sharing their own trials and tribulations in Hollywood, Adam and Joe create an extremely honest and heartfelt dialogue with their guests. The hilarious, heartbreaking, and therapeutic “artist on artist” conversations focus on each guest’s individual journey and the various hurdles they have personally faced and conquered along the way. With guests ranging from Academy Award winners, entertainment icons, and A-list celebrities… to cinematographers, editors, studio executives, and countless other crucial positions not typically featured in the spotlight, an average episode of THE MOVIE CRYPT offers more insight for navigating the entertainment industry than an entire semester of film school. Hailed by Entertainment Weekly magazine as “one of the top 20 podcasts you should be listening to” [Issue #1345], a new episode of THE MOVIE CRYPT has been released every single Monday without fail since the day the podcast launched on May 6, 2013.

This is an independent podcast that only exists thanks to the support of listeners. To get the FULL version of every new episode without ads every Monday morning simply subscribe to our Patreon for just $1 a month! Our entire catalogue of episodes, access to our monthly LIVE events, and more are all available at: www.Patreon.com/TheMovieCrypt

Latest Episodes:

Ep 650: Izzy Lee Nov 10, 2025

Show notes

Filmmaker Izzy Lee (HOUSE OF ASHES) joins Adam and Joe in the ArieScope studio to share her career journey and discuss the making of her debut feature film (now available on most every VOD platform). From living in Boston working every job she could while making a name for herself as a journalist covering movies, festivals, and entertainment culture… to making a whopping 27 short films- many of which made splashes at well known festivals around the world- only to still find herself without any opportunities to make a feature… to spending almost a decade pitching features to no avail… to how she made the most of the pandemic's forced hiatus by enrolling in classes and constantly working on her craft while she couldn't actually be in active production… to shooting HOUSE OF ASHES in Los Angeles with extremely limited resources while living in San Francisco… to how she discovered her film's lead Fayna Sanchez… to doing her own DYI promotion for the movie and winding up in the pages of Fangoria (a medal of honor for any genre filmmaker), Izzy's journey has been a long but inspirational road.

Also, Dr. Arwen provides "Hollywood Therapy" for a filmmaker with budgetary questions, the guys reflect on Halloween 2025 and the group discusses society's morbid celebration of the Salem Witch Trials.

Ep 649: Ken Kirzinger Nov 03, 2025

Show notes

Legendary stuntman and actor Ken Kirzinger (FREDDY vs JASON, WRONG TURN 2, WATCHMEN, BAD MOON, X-FILES) joins Adam and Joe to discuss his career journey. From a young Canadian man obsessed with the magic of movies who made the move to Los Angeles in the hopes of becoming a stunt performer… to heading right back to Canada where he began training with (what would become) Canada's leading stunt team… to his first job as a stuntman doubling the late Christopher Reeve in SUPERMAN III and the non-stop run of films and TV series' sets that he'd go on to work on over the next 40+ years… to making the move up to stunt coordinating various productions and ultimately being asked to audition for "Jason" in FREDDY vs JASON… to his terrific on-set stories involving Charles Bronson, James Arness, and the hardest "suit job" he ever performed… Ken shares just a few of his incredible experiences bringing some of the world's favorite movies and TV shows to life.

Ep 648: John-Michael Powell Oct 27, 2025

Show notes

Filmmaker John-Michael Powell (VIOLENT ENDS, THE SEND-OFF) joins Adam and Joe in the ArieScope studio to discuss his career journey and the making of VIOLENT ENDS (opening in theaters this Friday 10/31). From a kid growing up in Arkansas riding his bike to the video store… to going to college in Texas and heading straight to Los Angeles after graduating… to his decision to get into editing and work his way towards directing… to the incredible amount of filmmaking knowledge he gained by being in the room "where the sausage is made"… to how his script for VIOLENT ENDS was actually written in 2011 and went through several incarnations and starts/stops before finally going before cameras… to how he chose the incredible cast that brought his characters to life on screen… to his answer to the usual final question that left Adam and Joe stunned, John-Michael offers an incredible amount of insight and inspiration in this terrific conversation.

Watch Adam's 27th annual ArieScope Halloween short film HALLOWEEN HANGOVER - A STAR WARS STORY on the ArieScope YouTube channel HERE and then cure your hangover with the new season of Joe & Becca's A COUPLE OF OLD FASHIONEDS! The first two episodes of Season 2 are now available on YouTube HERE along with ALL of Season 1!

Ep 647: Jill Schoelen Oct 20, 2025

Show notes

Actress and musician Jill Schoelen (POPCORN, THE STEPFATHER, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA 1989) joins Adam and Joe in the ArieScope studio to share her career journey. From a 7 year old girl with alopecia who loved to sing for whoever would listen… to landing her first agent at age 10… to auditioning for the role of "Emmeline" in THE BLUE LAGOON as a teenager seven times only to not get the role… to her audition for "Sarah" in LABYRINTH alongside Jennifer Connelly and Ally Sheedy (Jill didn't get that role either)… to landing the role of "Claudette" in Joel Schumacher's D.C. CAB (1983) and then going on to star in a string of genre films like THE STEPFATHER, CURSE II, POPCORN, and WHEN A STRANGER CALLS BACK all while suffering from agoraphobia and severe anxiety… to the surprising information Fred Walton shared with her about her audition for WHEN A STRANGER CALLS BACK after the film had finished shooting… to her upcoming films RALPH'S PERFEKT CHRISTMAS and A DYING ART… and what to expect in her upcoming book of memoirs and on her upcoming album, Jill explains why you can't attach your happiness to an outcome that you can't personally control and why it's so important to just keep showing up.

Want to get all of your MOVIE CRYPT episodes without ads? By supporting the show for just $1 a month you'll get every episode ad-free and downloaded right to your podcast app of choice! Keep the podcast alive by supporting it at www.Patreon.com/TheMovieCrypt today!

Ep 646: Matt Sampere Oct 13, 2025

Show notes

Filmmaker Matt Sampere (CREEPING DEATH) joins Adam and Joe in the ArieScope Studio to discuss his journey bringing his debut feature film to life. From watching GODZILLA and KING KONG with his father as a child and developing an early love for monsters and genre films… to being told by teachers that it wasn't realistic to pursue a career as a filmmaker… to attending community college while playing in a band before heading to Syracuse to pursue a degree in film production… to PA'ing on David Bruckner's THE NIGHT HOUSE and making the move to Los Angeles just in time for the pandemic to turn the industry upside down and then have the WGA/SAG strikes delay most productions for an additional year… to working a variety of different positions on both film and TV projects before writing CREEPING DEATH… to making a short film version of the story during the pandemic that he would use as a calling card for helping raise the budget to make his debut feature of the same name two years later… to how personal family experiences almost unknowingly seeped into the characters he wrote for CREEPING DEATH… to how his constraints on resources actually helped turn some set pieces into something even better than what he had originally planned… to the film's world premiere at FRIGHTFEST in the UK and learning to deal with armchair critics, Matt's story is one that almost every aspiring filmmaker can relate to and draw inspiration from. Watch CREEPING DEATH on Amazon Prime and/or Screambox and get in the Halloween spirit!

Ep 645: Dennis Cahlo & Bethany Watson Oct 06, 2025

Show notes

Filmmakers Dennis Cahlo and Bethany Watson join Adam and Joe to discuss the making of their new series THE TROUBLE WITH TESSA (now streaming on Screambox). From meeting on a podcast and getting together romantically… to making the decision to leave previously established careers and become full time filmmakers… to making short films together before putting together a mock trailer to sell their vision for THE TROUBLE WITH TESSA… to pulling off the feat of shooting their 6 episode series with extremely limited resources, a tiny crew and only 19 days… to the casting of their fully non-union cast and the careful planning that went into making each day of filming… to working with Screambox and the pressure they put on themselves wanting to make sure that the platform's first original series was a success… to the ins and outs of co-directing and co-producing effectively as a couple… to the hurdles of working with practical effects when there is often only one take to get it right, Dennis and Bethany's accomplishment with TESSA is one that will surely inspire other filmmakers to find their own way to make big things happen.

Don't forget, MOVIE CRYPT LIVE is FREE for all to enjoy next Sunday October 12th! Join us at 8am PST / 11am EST for our annual 2-hour Halloween pre-show "IT'S THE GREAT HALLOWEEN PRE-SHOW, ARWEN!" and then enjoy a LIVE episode starting at 10am PST / 1pm EST. A link will be posted on www.Patreon.com/TheMovieCrypt about 30 minutes before the pre-show begins and remain posted until the LIVE show ends. You don't need to be a Patreon member to see the link or join in the fun for this annual FREE event!

Ep 644: Mercedes Bryce Morgan Sep 29, 2025

Show notes

Filmmaker Mercedes Bryce Morgan (FIXATION, SPOONFUL OF SUGAR) joins Adam and Joe in the ArieScope studio to discuss the making of her latest feature BONE LAKE (in theaters now). From first reading the sexy, violent and twist-filled script… to her thoughts on the current cultural temperature with erotica in commercial cinema… to how she approached shooting the sex and violence integral to BONE LAKE's plot… to the key in finding the right location as a character… to how she pulled off this very ambitious thrill-ride with a fresh-faced cast on a tight schedule… to the film's triumphant premiere at Fantastic fest in 2024 and how she's been dealing with the many surprises the film has in store in a time of "spoiler culture," BONE LAKE has stormed into theaters with a wave of major buzz behind it.

See BONE LAKE in a theater near you!

Ep 643: Shane Black Sep 26, 2025

Show notes

SPECIAL EPISODE! Legendary writer/director Shane Black (LETHAL WEAPON, THE MONSTER SQUAD, KISS KISS BANG BANG, IRON MAN 3, THE NICE GUYS) joins Adam and Joe in the ArieScope Studio to discuss his career journey and his new feature PLAY DIRTY - now available on Amazon Prime. From his writing process… to feeling the very same "imposter syndrome" we all feel despite his many massive successes… to what goes in to creating a terrific protagonist and how he makes every character a memorable one despite the size of the role… to what it's like working with some of the greatest actors in Hollywood… to the cinema that inspired him and why many of his projects have had a Christmastime setting… to the production of PLAY DIRTY… to where the now iconic "Wolfman's got nards" line came from in his script for THE MONSTER SQUAD… to how he overcame his own demons and came roaring back, this conversation with one of the industry's most beloved giants is one that every filmmaker needs to hear.

Watch PLAY DIRTY on Amazon Prime tonight!

Ep 642: Christopher Nelson Sep 22, 2025

Show notes

Academy Award winning make-up FX artist Christopher Nelson (KILL BILL Vol 1 & 2, SUICIDE SQUAD 2016, HALLOWEEN 2018, HALLOWEEN KILLS, HALLOWEEN ENDS, AMERICAN HORROR STORY) joins Adam and Joe in the ArieScope studio to discuss his incredible career journey. From growing up on a healthy diet of Fangoria magazines and going to the movies as often as possible… to becoming consumed with the dream of making movies after seeing NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD on TV and then enamored with make-up FX after seeing DAWN OF THE DEAD in the theater… to a lifetime of FX work that lead him all the way to China where he worked with the great Quentin Tarantino on the KILL BILL movies… to winning Emmy Awards for his work on AMERICAN HORROR STORY… to almost walking away from working on SUICIDE SQUAD (2016) two different times before winning an Academy Award for his work on the film… to his amazing and surreal experience at the Oscars… to the pressure that came with taking the FX reigns on the beloved HALLOWEEN franchise and its highly opinionated fan base… to what it meant to see his Michael Myers mask on a banner for HALLOWEEN (2018) hanging from a sound stage at Universal Studios… to his thoughts on the current state of the industry and entertainment in general, Chris is a true giant at his craft and this candid conversation is one that every cinephile is sure to enjoy.

Want to stop hearing ads? Support THE MOVIE CRYPT on Patreon.com/TheMovieCrypt for just $1 a month and get every new episode, ad-free and downloaded right to your podcast app of choice with your RSS code!

Ep 641: Pierre Tsigaridis & Maxime Rancon Sep 15, 2025

Show notes

Filmmakers Pierre Tsigaridis and Maxime Rancon (TWO WITCHES) join Adam and Joe in the ArieScope studio to discuss their career journey and the making of their latest film TRAUMATIKA (in theaters now). From how the two randomly met at a Los Angeles club, bonded over their similar tastes in cinema and music and began working together… to how they put both TWO WITCHES and TRAUMATIKA together with their own resources rather than waiting for outside financing… to the many pivotal crew positions the duo perform themselves on their projects… to how they came up with the story and the title for TRAUMATIKA… to the challenges of crafting a film that involved child actors and why they performed and recorded the film's ending credits song themselves… Pierre and Maxime are two shining examples of how you can make big things happen if you stop waiting for someone else's permission.

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