Our Scream (1996) Review takes Born to Watch into Woodsboro, where answering the phone is dangerous and throwing a party during a killing spree apparently makes perfect sense. Welcome to the movie review podcast where we do not take the movies or ourselves too seriously. This time, Matt welcomes longtime listener and horror enthusiast Sean Hopkins, the movie lover behind @Moviedad16, for a Halloween double shot with Ghostface.

With the usual crew less enthusiastic about horror, Matt has recruited someone who knows this film backwards. Sean first saw Scream at thirteen on a trip to the cinema with his dad, and he promptly became obsessed. Once the VHS arrived, repeat viewings became practically compulsory. Decades later, that enthusiasm remains, making him the perfect guest to revisit a movie that turned horror trivia into a potential survival skill.

For Matt, this is another trip back to his cinema-going prime, with the added perspective of introducing Scream to his own family. Their shared affection sets the scene, but nobody gets a free pass. Loving a film and questioning its increasingly ridiculous decisions can absolutely happen at the same time, especially when there is a bloke wandering around a supermarket dressed like the town’s most wanted murderer.

Wes Craven's direction and Kevin Williamson's screenplay give the conversation plenty to chew on. The boys explore a slasher that understands the clichés, openly discusses them and still finds ways to make its characters stumble straight into trouble. Is knowing the rules enough when everyone keeps breaking them? And can a movie take the piss out of horror logic while occasionally relying on exactly the same nonsense?

The opening sequence gets plenty of attention, with Drew Barrymore's performance, the escalating phone calls and the horror quiz setting an unforgettable tone. Sean remembers sitting in the cinema convinced his movie knowledge would have helped him survive. Matt brings a slightly more practical suggestion: stop chatting to the threatening stranger and call the bloody police. Sometimes the smartest answer is refusing to play the game.

The cast discussion covers Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott, Courteney Cox's determined Gale Weathers, David Arquette's well-meaning Dewey and the memorable supporting players. Matthew Lillard sparks a particularly entertaining difference of opinion, with Sean praising his personality and best lines while Matt questions some of his bigger acting choices. Rose McGowan, Jamie Kennedy, Skeet Ulrich and Henry Winkler also come under the Born to Watch microscope, with nobody escaping a little scrutiny.

Randy's video shop expertise opens the door to some proper nostalgia. Sean recalls dreaming of a job recommending movies, while Matt reflects on owning a video shop and learning to identify films from customers' gloriously vague descriptions. It is a reminder of when choosing your Friday night entertainment involved shelves, cover art and a conversation with someone who had probably watched far too many trailers.

Then comes Question Time, where Woodsboro's common sense takes a beating. Why are certain people sharing space at the police station? Why does nobody screen the calls? Where are the parents? And why is everyone so relaxed about attending a party while a killer is on the loose? The garage sequence also gets investigated, with serious doubts about a door's lifting capacity and the wisdom of choosing a cat flap as an escape route.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly balances appreciation for the opening, pacing, movie references and party finale with complaints about convenient timing, questionable behaviour and an ending that arrives awfully quickly. Along the way, the conversation detours into cinema etiquette, noisy teenagers and why Sean prefers his horror screenings with as few other people as possible. Apparently, surviving Ghostface is one thing, but surviving a chatty cinema is another.

The show also returns to 1996 with Fargo, Kingpin, Barb Wire, and The Frighteners, plus the usual quickfire nonsense. Whether you grew up renting Scream or discovered it through the sequels, join Matt and Sean for laughs, nostalgia and affectionate nitpicking.

Listen now, follow Born to Watch, leave a review and share this episode with the mate who reckons they know every horror rule. Then ask them whether they would actually survive Woodsboro after dark, without their phone, their parents or a working escape plan.

#BornToWatch #Scream1996 #ScreamReview #Ghostface #WesCraven #HorrorMovies #MovieReviewPodcast #SlasherMovies #90sMovies #MovieDad16

Our Halloween 1978 Review takes Born to Watch to Haddonfield, where the hedges are suspicious, the babysitters are distracted, and a bloke in a white mask has somehow mastered driving without a licence. Whitey, Gow, Damo and Dan revisit John Carpenter's horror landmark to ask a question guaranteed to upset somebody: does the original Halloween still deliver the goods, or has its legendary reputation become scarier than the film itself?

This is no polite gathering of horror devotees worshipping at the altar of Michael Myers. The boys arrive with very different histories with the film, and those differences quickly become the main event. Whitey has watched it repeatedly over the years, but this latest viewing challenges his memories. Gow considers the gap between an iconic character and an entertaining movie. Damo discovers that a film he assumed he knew might actually be a first watch. And Dan? Let's just say Haddonfield won't be getting a glowing tourism review.

Before the knives come out, the discussion explores Halloween's place in horror history. Whitey puts it alongside Psycho, Night of the Living Dead and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre as a defining influence on the genre. That opens a debate about the films that shaped modern scares, the difference between tension and gore, and whether historical importance should earn a movie extra credit when you're watching it today.

At the centre of the episode is Carpenter's approach to suspense. Michael appearing behind hedges, watching from a distance and emerging from darkness gives Damo plenty to appreciate. Others are less convinced that all that stalking translates into enough excitement. Is the quiet suburban setting a masterclass in making ordinary spaces feel unsafe, or are we spending an awful lot of time waiting for someone to cross the road?

Then there's the music. Carpenter's unmistakable theme receives serious attention as the boys debate where it belongs among cinema's most recognisable scores. From Jaws and Star Wars to The Exorcist and The Terminator, the comparisons come thick and fast. Whatever their disagreements about the film, that simple, unsettling sound gives everyone something to talk about. Can a score carry the fear when the action isn't doing it for you?

Jamie Lee Curtis's Laurie Strode and Donald Pleasence's Dr Loomis also face the Born to Watch treatment. Laurie's place in horror history meets practical questions about survival, while Loomis's warnings spark a discussion about whether anyone in Haddonfield is taking the situation seriously enough. Michael's unexplained driving ability, the locals' relaxed response to suspicious behaviour, and some questionable decisions around an apparently defeated killer all attract attention.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly leaves plenty of room for disagreement. There's appreciation for memorable imagery, including Michael's mask materialising from the shadows, alongside frustration with dialogue, pacing and character choices. The original trailer also gets a serve for apparently being determined to show viewers far more than it should. If you've ever shouted at a horror character to finish the job, you'll feel right at home.

Behind the scenes, the boys discuss the tiny production budget, the origins of that famous mask, and the Hitchcock connections woven through the film. Film School for F-Wits turns its attention to Donald Pleasence, following a career that stretches from Bond villainy to Wake in Fright and Escape from New York. Naturally, even a little film education comes with interruptions, tangents, and someone not listening when they probably should.

And because this is Born to Watch, the evening wouldn't be complete without Gow's latest musical contribution. His Halloween-inspired hit brings Haddonfield into the podcast's own ridiculous universe, proving that even an unstoppable masked killer can become material for a very questionable rhyme.

The Rank Bank awaits, but you'll need to listen to discover where Halloween lands. Before that, expect nostalgia, disagreement and four blokes testing the distance between a film’s reputation and their own enjoyment.

Does Halloween still give you the creeps, or are the boys saying what you've secretly thought for years?
Listen, tell us whose take you agree with, and share the episode with the mate who insists Michael Myers is untouchable.
Follow Born to Watch and leave a review, preferably before the heavy breathing starts outside your window.

#BornToWatch #Halloween1978 #HalloweenReview #MichaelMyers #JohnCarpenter #JamieLeeCurtis #DonaldPleasence #HorrorPodcast #MovieReviewPodcast #SlasherMovies

Our Under Siege 1992 Review brings Born to Watch aboard the USS Missouri, where the catering is questionable, the security is worse, and the cook is apparently the ship's most dangerous bloke. Welcome to the movie review podcast where we don’t take the movies or ourselves too seriously.
This week, Whitey and Damo welcome back Will to revisit Steven Seagal's battleship blockbuster.

After previous encounters with Above the Law and Hard to Kill, the boys return to the Seagal catalogue with a rather uncomfortable possibility: this one might actually be good. Has Casey Ryback finally given them an action hero worth getting behind? Or does Under Siege work because Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey do enough heavy lifting to keep the whole battleship afloat?

The setup is beautifully ridiculous. A birthday celebration aboard a heavily armed warship turns into a hostile takeover when the entertainment arrives with something far nastier than a disappointing set list. Rogue operative William Strannix and disgruntled officer Commander Krill eye the ship's weapons. Unfortunately for them, the bloke making dinner has a résumé that extends well beyond fish stew.

Whitey brings serious history with this movie, remembering a cinema experience that delivered everything his teenage action appetite required. Will revisits a favourite from the family living room, while Damo discovers that some of the violence is considerably nastier than memory suggested. Together, they explore that familiar question: are we watching a genuinely entertaining action film, or just enjoying the warm glow of video shop nostalgia?

Tommy Lee Jones quickly becomes a major talking point. His ranting, swaggering Strannix dominates the conversation as the boys debate whether his performance is charismatic villainy, cartoon chaos, or a little of both. Gary Busey provides another generous helping of madness, including line readings that practically demand their own segment. When these two share the screen, subtlety has clearly been ordered to abandon ship.

Then there's Seagal himself. The boys examine a surprisingly sociable Casey Ryback, his kitchen banter, his deadpan jokes and the unusual experience of seeing him share the spotlight. Naturally, nobody escapes scrutiny for long. His facial expressions, action poses and approach to running all receive the kind of affectionate interrogation you would expect from a Born to Watch return visit.

Erika Eleniak's Jordan Tate also gets plenty of attention, from the unforgettable birthday cake entrance to her involvement in the increasingly chaotic rescue mission. Damo finds something to appreciate in her character's progression, while the conversation inevitably wanders into the teenage memories attached to one of the decade's most talked-about action movie moments. Yes, the cake gets its own extended discussion. Of course it does. Would you expect anything less here?

Question Time takes aim at a plan with more moving parts than the Missouri's engine room.
Who is paying the mercenaries?
Why does almost nobody know the cook's background?
How does a warship become this vulnerable to a party booking?
And why does the military response feel so restrained when the stakes are this enormous?
The boys have questions, and military competence is taking heavy fire.

Along the way, there's kitchen dancing, questionable bouillabaisse, suspiciously rare roast beef and a discussion about the irresistible power of Voodoo Child. The action invites comparisons to Die Hard, Rambo, and MacGyver, while The Good, the Bad and the Ugly separates the entertaining spectacle from the moments that collapse under even the gentlest examination.

Film School for F-Wits heads into Hollywood's spec-script boom, exploring Under Siege's original title, Dreadnought, and the era when original screenplays drew enormous bidding wars. Whitey follows that conversation with another original Kick Arse Credit Song, because apparently reviewing a battleship hijacking also requires a musical tribute to Miss July.

Expect nostalgia, ridiculous tangents, enthusiastic arguments and three blokes trying to survive some truly regrettable Vodka Cruisers. Under Siege gives them plenty to chew on, even if nobody is volunteering for another serving of that fish stew.

Listen now, follow Born to Watch, and share this episode with the mate who still insists Seagal belongs among the action greats.
Then tell us: is Under Siege his finest hour, or do the villains deserve the Captain's chair?

#BornToWatch #UnderSiege #UnderSiege1992 #StevenSeagal #TommyLeeJones #GaryBusey #ErikaEleniak #MovieReviewPodcast #90sActionMovies #MovieNostalgia