Enjoy Stuff: A TechnoRetro Podcast

What are the scariest movies you've seen? Zombies, haunted houses, werewolves....what is it that gets your heart pumping? Jay and Shua crossover with 31 Days of Horror to talk about what keeps them up at night on Enjoy Stuff.

 

Jay and Shua compile a list of the movies that keep them up at night but are still fun. This week’s Enjoy Stuff looks at all sub-genres of horror and which films rise (backside up) to the top. 



News

-Mel Brooks’s History of the World part 2 will finally show us more of what we imagine real history to be

-Toy catalogs may be a little different, but Amazon sent one this year that remind us of all the nostalgic fun of making your holiday list. 

-Speaking of toys, the Fisher Price Chatter Telephone can now make real phone calls.



What we’re Enjoying

Shua learned a lot about an actor he’s always admired in Val. It’s an emotional no-holds-barred documentary about Val Kilmer put together from hundreds of hours and years of personal video footage. Jay has tried to cleanse his horror film binge watching by revisiting two classics: Chinatown and The Two Jakes with Jack Nicholson. 



Enjoy Movies

Some movies are memorable because of the intense screaming we experience when watching them. Jay and Shua compile a list of their favorite scare fests. 

 

An American Werewolf in London has made a big impression on both the guys. And it’s created some scary moments during their childhood. (Plus a few nightmares)

 

Jay likes the suspense and drama of movies like The Shining and Phantasm. Shua gets his scary kicks from more modern day films like The Sixth Sense and Get Out.

 

Another couple movies that define Jay’s taste include some outer space aspects such as Alien, or John Carpenter’s classic The Thing. Shua prefers the humor in the horror remake/spoof Young Frankenstein. 

 

No matter what your taste is, sometimes you can have fun with a little adrenaline. Scary movies can bring us together and create a few laughs, along with the shouts. 

 

What are your scariest movies? Do you like haunted houses or aliens? Talk to us in the Discord channel or send us an email to podcast@enjoystuff.com

Direct download: Enjoy_Stuff_1-24.mp3
Category:Enjoy Stuff -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Halloween costumes are one of the favorite activities for Halloween, but where did the tradition come from? Jay and Shua look at the history of costumes and look back at some of their favorites. Join us for the Halloween season as we Enjoy Stuff!

 

Let’s look at the rich and creepy history of Halloween costumes. From the early days when goat heads were trending to this year’s favorite from Squid Game we snap on the rubber band and get prepared to sweat all night on our face. Get dressed up with us and Enjoy Stuff!



News

-The Movies That Made Us Season 3 is now showing on Netflix with some great movie choices

-William Shatner has successfully completed a brief trip to space, making him the oldest person in space ever!

-The Beatles: Get Back premieres on Disney+ on November 25

-The TRON Machine has officially been announced and will be available for pre-order Tuesday October 19



What we’re Enjoying

Jay really enjoyed the Muppets Haunted Mansion Halloween special on Disney+. It had some great Muppet humor along with some great references to the Disney ride and some fun celebrity appearances. Shua revisited a book he bought in 2010 called Earth (The Book) A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race by Jon Stewart and his crew at the Daily Show. It’s a planet sized parody of life as we know it. 



Enjoy Halloween!

Halloween costumes have been around for longer than you may realize. Since the days of the Samhain Celtic festival people have been pretending to be something else for reasons ranging from warding off evil spirits to scamming people out of candy. 

 

As humans continued to pretend to become smarter and wiser, the tradition of costuming also continued. But it evolved into terrifying acts of pranking from young boys and ultimately a commercially successful tradition starting in the 50’s when parents fought back the violence with bribery.  

 

Once adults realized they could keep kids from digging up corpses for fun, the costume rage grew exponentially. Each decade brought new costume trends. Clowns turned into pop culture icons and spooky legends like witches, vampires, and Hulk Hogan continued to be timeless favorites.  

 

Jay and Shua reminisce about some of their most memorable costumes from the past. Werewolves, buccaneers, and Star Wars of course left a lasting memory on the guys. 

 

What is the wildest costume you’ve come up with? Which one made the biggest impression? What’s a costume you’ve seen that you’d love to be able to try? Talk to us in the Discord channel or send us an email to podcast@enjoystuff.com

Direct download: Enjoy_Stuff_1-23.mp3
Category:Enjoy Stuff -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Classic horror movies were the foundation of a scream inducing movie genre. This week Jay and Shua discuss movies from the 31 Days of Horror articles and how they defined what was to come. Join us as we Enjoy horror movies

 

Since cinema was invented, filmmakers have been trying to make their audiences scream. The Horror genre is still going strong today, but where did all the ideas come from. This week we look at some of the classics that defined the genre and how it has evolved to what it is today. 



News

-Check out these Kellogg’s action figures from Plastic Meatball

-William Shatner is heading to space for real!

-The latest cereal to be inspired by other food is Wendy’s Frosty Breakfast Cereal

-This amazing Ghostbuster projection display will make you want to trick-or-treat at this house in California



What we’re Enjoying

Shua finally got around to watching the Disney live action remake Cruella. He liked it fine, but what really stood out to him was the soundtrack. The eclectic mix of punk, rock, covers, and new songs are a fun playlist to listen to this autumn. Jay read some cool comic biographies, The Twilight Man: Rod Serling and the Birth of Television and Lugosi: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood’s Dracula both by Koren Shadmi and published by Life Drawn. It’s a new, fun way to learn about a couple of important men in Hollywood. 



Enjoy Movies

Filmmakers in the early days of Hollywood recognized that audiences love to be scared. And the idea quickly evolved into movies that have defined the genre even today. 1931’s Dracula with Bella Lugosi created some important characteristics of vampires that might just save your life today, (if you happen to run into a vampire). The movie’s popularity quickly spawned another story when the cinematic version of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, giving us a Boris Karloff monster that has inspired hundreds of future stories.

 

Universal kept riding the wave with the Mummy (1932) and The Wolf Man (1941). It wasn’t too long before master filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock were honing the craft of the scare. Psycho is not only one of the best scary movies, but one of the best overall movies of all time. 

 

But many of the ones on our list were likely never intended to be classics, or inspirations. Nevertheless, we began to see branches of horror movies about zombies, possession, haunted houses, and psycho killers. (Qu'est-ce que c'est?) Night of the Living Dead, Rosemary’s Baby, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Friday the 13th are just a few. 

 

Do you like classic horror movies? What are some of your favorites? Turn on a classic and join us on Enjoy Stuff

 

Be sure to check out Jay’s articles, “31 Days of Horror” on RetroZap.com. Talk to us in the Discord channel or send us an email to podcast@enjoystuff.com

Direct download: Enjoy_Stuff_1-22.mp3
Category:Enjoy Stuff -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

Zoinks! It's a g-g-ghost! Oh, nope, it's Scooby Doo and the gang. For more than 50 years these eternally young teenagers have been solving mysteries and catching bad guys. Jay and Shua take a look at the history of one of the most legendary cartoons ever on Enjoy Stuff. 

 

Hey Scoob, is that a Spooky Space Kook or is it a Ghost Clown? Whatever the villain, Scooby, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne, and Velma are sure to catch them. Scooby Doo has been a staple for generations. What has kept them going? Who were the best bad guys? And where are the Scooby snacks?



News

-What did you think of the new Stranger Things trailer?

-Muppet Haunted Mansion is coming to Disney+ this week!

-The new Cobra Kai Season 4 reveals a release date of December 31!

-We have a new high scorer for the arcade game Pole Position

-AMC Theaters are hosting surprise horror movies in October

-Would you like a Babylon 5 reboot? It’s coming from original series creator J. Michael Straczynski




What we’re Enjoying

Jay is digging the Hulu series Y the Last Man, based on the comic books. Do you think you could survive a world with only one dude? Just in case it might happen, you may want to watch this series. Shua has been revisiting an art book he got a few years ago. Cartoon Modern by Amid Amidi discusses the modernist 50s animation that was so popular in that decade. It’s a collection of beautiful, abstract cartooning. 



Enjoy Cartoons

In 1969 Joe Ruby and Ken Spears came up with a premise for a show that was inspired by Abbot and Costello scary movies. The cartoon wasn’t all that original, but it was well done and it sure was fun!

 

Scooby Doo, Where Are You? Was the first series, but it spawned dozens of follow ups. Still, those originals are beloved by generations. Even the clunky animation and repetitive plot structure didn’t deter us from tuning in for years and years. 

 

The New Scooby Doo movies brought in famous characters and actors into the world of Scooby. These longer episodes crossed over into other worlds and sometimes introduced us to people we may not have known, like Mama Cass Elliot or Don Knotts. Batman and Robin stopped by and even the Harlem Globetrotters.

 

Sometimes Shaggy and Scooby set off on their own, and occasionally had to drag Scrappy along. These series may not have been as memorable, but it kept Scooby on people’s TV. 

 

Sometimes the gang were depicted as young kids, sometimes more intricately animated, and sometimes they became post-apocalyptic zombie hunters. Eventually, their iconic status brought them to the live action movie screen. 

 

These meddling kids continue to drive around in their Mystery Machine and solve mysteries, and we’re confident they’ll be entertaining us for years to come.

 

What’s your favorite version of Scooby Doo? Let us know in the Discord channel or send us an email to podcast@enjoystuff.com

Direct download: Enjoy_Stuff_1-21.mp3
Category:Enjoy Stuff -- posted at: 3:00am EDT

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