All these years later, we know FREDDY’S DEAD was far from the “final nightmare”. Freddy went on to fight Jason Voorhees, be meta in New Nightmare, and get a grim makeover in 2010. But word on the street is Rachel Talalay’s Elm Street entry was meant to be the end of Freddy at the time. Does that context make it a better or worse movie? And can we ever come to terms with the darkness and campiness fighting to co-exist in this franchise?

TIMELINE

00:01:26 NES

00:02:10 Feedback!

00:09:20 Real Talk

00:56:20 The Future & Patreon Stuff

- Interested in more Contrarians goodness? Join THE CONTRARIANS SUPPLEMENTS on our Patreon Page! Deleted clips, extended plugs, bonus episodes free from the Tomatometer shackles… It’s everything a Contrarians devotee would want!

- Our YouTube page is live! Get some visual Contrarians delight with our Contrarians Warm-Ups and other fun videos!

- Contrarians Merch is finally here! Check out our RED BUBBLE MERCH PAGE and buy yourself something nice that’s emblazoned with one of our four different designs!

- THE FESTIVE YEARS have been letting us use their music for years now and they are amazing. You can check out their work on Spotify, on Facebook or on their very own website.

- Our buddy Cory Ahre is being kind enough to lend a hand with the editing of some of our videos. If you like his style, wait until you see what he does over on his YouTube Channel.

- THE LATE NIGHT GRIN isn’t just a show about wrestling: it’s a brand, a lifestyle. And they’re very supportive of our Contrarian endeavors, so we’d like to return the favor. Check out their YouTube Channel! You might even spot Alex there from time to time.

- Hans Rothgiesser, the man behind our logo, can be reached at @mildemonios on Twitter or you can email him at mildemonios@hotmail.com in case you ever need a logo (or comics) produced. And you can listen to him talk about economy on his new TV show, VALOR AGREGADO. Aaaaand you can also check out all the stuff he’s written on his own website. He has a new book: a sort of Economics For Dummies called MARGINAL. Ask him about it!

Up next, we celebrate another year of Contrarians awesomeness and hand out awards to the movies we tackled over the past twelve months, as we host THE EMBRIES 2025! Until then, let us know what you thought of Freddy’s Dead: Was it a worthy finale (at the time) for the franchise? Does the 3D gimmick work, in a nostalgic sort of way? How do you feel about Freddy’s backstory? E-mail us at wearethecontrarians@gmail.com or share your thoughts with us on Threads or BlueSky!

Horror icons are not allowed to die - but that doesn’t mean they are not allowed to try. And so, Fred Krueger gave it a shot in the boldly titled FREDDY’S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE. Predictably, critics panicked at the idea of a world without Elm Street terrors and stamped a 23% rotten Tomatometer score on Freddy’s efforts. Listen to Alex & Julio defend this surprisingly emotional (and sincere, at the time) farewell!

TIMELINE

00:01:24 Freddy’s Dead

00:12:38 Contrarians Corner

- Wanna know how we really feel about FREDDY’S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE? Check out the Real Talk (RT) episode, on your feed RIGHT NOW! (or pretty soon — Spotify can be a pain when it comes to refreshing the feed)

- Interested in more Contrarians goodness? Join THE CONTRARIANS SUPPLEMENTS on our Patreon Page! Deleted clips, extended plugs, bonus episodes free from the Tomatometer shackles… It’s everything a Contrarians devotee would want!

- Our YouTube page is live! Get some visual Contrarians delight with our Contrarians Warm-Ups and other fun videos!

- Contrarians Merch is finally here! Check out our RED BUBBLE MERCH PAGE and buy yourself something nice that’s emblazoned with one of our four different designs!

- THE FESTIVE YEARS have been letting us use their music for years now and they are amazing. You can check out their work on Spotify, on Facebook or on their very own website.

- Our buddy Cory Ahre is being kind enough to lend a hand with the editing of some of our videos. If you like his style, wait until you see what he does over on his YouTube Channel.

- THE LATE NIGHT GRIN isn’t just a show about wrestling: it’s a brand, a lifestyle. And they’re very supportive of our Contrarian endeavors, so we’d like to return the favor. Check out their YouTube Channel! You might even spot Alex there from time to time.

- Hans Rothgiesser, the man behind our logo, can be reached at @mildemonios on Twitter or you can email him at mildemonios@hotmail.com in case you ever need a logo (or comics) produced. And you can listen to him talk about economy on his new TV show, VALOR AGREGADO. Aaaaand you can also check out all the stuff he’s written on his own website. He has a new book: a sort of Economics For Dummies called MARGINAL. Ask him about it!

We will always do our best to celebrate big swings and original ideas - even when we can’t make heads or tails of them. So yes, we’re going to cut QUANTUM COWBOYS some slack even though some of our qualms from Contrarians Corner also stand in this Real Talk segment. But even when acknowledging the value of trying new things, we also have to analyze why a well-meaning effort doesn’t work. That’s why we’re all here, isn’t it?

TIMELINE

00:01:26 A Better Starting Point

00:02:16 Real Talk

00:54:11 The Future & Patreon Stuff

- Interested in more Contrarians goodness? Join THE CONTRARIANS SUPPLEMENTS on our Patreon Page! Deleted clips, extended plugs, bonus episodes free from the Tomatometer shackles… It’s everything a Contrarians devotee would want!

- Our YouTube page is live! Get some visual Contrarians delight with our Contrarians Warm-Ups and other fun videos!

- Contrarians Merch is finally here! Check out our RED BUBBLE MERCH PAGE and buy yourself something nice that’s emblazoned with one of our four different designs!

- THE FESTIVE YEARS have been letting us use their music for years now and they are amazing. You can check out their work on Spotify, on Facebook or on their very own website.

- Our buddy Cory Ahre is being kind enough to lend a hand with the editing of some of our videos. If you like his style, wait until you see what he does over on his YouTube Channel.

- THE LATE NIGHT GRIN isn’t just a show about wrestling: it’s a brand, a lifestyle. And they’re very supportive of our Contrarian endeavors, so we’d like to return the favor. Check out their YouTube Channel! You might even spot Alex there from time to time.

- Hans Rothgiesser, the man behind our logo, can be reached at @mildemonios on Twitter or you can email him at mildemonios@hotmail.com in case you ever need a logo (or comics) produced. And you can listen to him talk about economy on his new TV show, VALOR AGREGADO. Aaaaand you can also check out all the stuff he’s written on his own website. He has a new book: a sort of Economics For Dummies called MARGINAL. Ask him about it!

Up next, we check in on our old friend Fred Krueger as we tackle FREDDY’S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE! Until then, let us know what you thought of Quantum Cowboys: Were you even aware of this movie’s existence? Does it do justice to the genre of trippy animation? Would you return for the rest of the “antilogy”? E-mail us at wearethecontrarians@gmail.com or share your thoughts with us on Threads or BlueSky!

Take a hit of whatever your drug of choice is - that’s your best chance to grasp how QUANTUM COWBOYS scored 100% on the Tomatometer. Yes, universal acclaim is a little easier to attain when the review pool is shallow, but still, it’s weird when a nearly incomprehensible movie gets so much praise. Listen to Alex & Julio as they try to wrap their minds around a trippy plot and even trippier animation — and a lot of multiverse-related nonsense.

TIMELINE

00:01:24 Quantum Cowboys

00:12:38 Contrarians Corner

- Wanna know how we really feel about QUANTUM COWBOYS? Check out the Real Talk (RT) episode, on your feed RIGHT NOW! (or pretty soon — Spotify can be a pain when it comes to refreshing the feed)

- Interested in more Contrarians goodness? Join THE CONTRARIANS SUPPLEMENTS on our Patreon Page! Deleted clips, extended plugs, bonus episodes free from the Tomatometer shackles… It’s everything a Contrarians devotee would want!

- Our YouTube page is live! Get some visual Contrarians delight with our Contrarians Warm-Ups and other fun videos!

- Contrarians Merch is finally here! Check out our RED BUBBLE MERCH PAGE and buy yourself something nice that’s emblazoned with one of our four different designs!

- THE FESTIVE YEARS have been letting us use their music for years now and they are amazing. You can check out their work on Spotify, on Facebook or on their very own website.

- Our buddy Cory Ahre is being kind enough to lend a hand with the editing of some of our videos. If you like his style, wait until you see what he does over on his YouTube Channel.

- THE LATE NIGHT GRIN isn’t just a show about wrestling: it’s a brand, a lifestyle. And they’re very supportive of our Contrarian endeavors, so we’d like to return the favor. Check out their YouTube Channel! You might even spot Alex there from time to time.

- Hans Rothgiesser, the man behind our logo, can be reached at @mildemonios on Twitter or you can email him at mildemonios@hotmail.com in case you ever need a logo (or comics) produced. And you can listen to him talk about economy on his new TV show, VALOR AGREGADO. Aaaaand you can also check out all the stuff he’s written on his own website. He has a new book: a sort of Economics For Dummies called MARGINAL. Ask him about it!

Well, it was The 80s, so maybe we were all a little easier to impress. With that in mind, how does CONAN THE BARBARIAN hold up in a world that’s been inundated with fantasy epics since its release? Can we spot what James Cameron might have seen in young Arnold Schwarzenegger back then? And will anyone think of the original Conan fans? That, and more, in this Real Talk segment!

TIMELINE

00:01:26 Always Passed By

00:02:22 Real Talk

00:54:46 The Future & Patreon Stuff

- Interested in more Contrarians goodness? Join THE CONTRARIANS SUPPLEMENTS on our Patreon Page! Deleted clips, extended plugs, bonus episodes free from the Tomatometer shackles… It’s everything a Contrarians devotee would want!

- Our YouTube page is live! Get some visual Contrarians delight with our Contrarians Warm-Ups and other fun videos!

- Contrarians Merch is finally here! Check out our RED BUBBLE MERCH PAGE and buy yourself something nice that’s emblazoned with one of our four different designs!

- THE FESTIVE YEARS have been letting us use their music for years now and they are amazing. You can check out their work on Spotify, on Facebook or on their very own website.

- Our buddy Cory Ahre is being kind enough to lend a hand with the editing of some of our videos. If you like his style, wait until you see what he does over on his YouTube Channel.

- THE LATE NIGHT GRIN isn’t just a show about wrestling: it’s a brand, a lifestyle. And they’re very supportive of our Contrarian endeavors, so we’d like to return the favor. Check out their YouTube Channel! You might even spot Alex there from time to time.

- Hans Rothgiesser, the man behind our logo, can be reached at @mildemonios on Twitter or you can email him at mildemonios@hotmail.com in case you ever need a logo (or comics) produced. And you can listen to him talk about economy on his new TV show, VALOR AGREGADO. Aaaaand you can also check out all the stuff he’s written on his own website. He has a new book: a sort of Economics For Dummies called MARGINAL. Ask him about it!

Up next, we take an experimental animated trip, as we tackle the indie darling QUANTUM COWBOYS! Until then, let us know what you thought of Conan The Barbarian: Are we being too harsh on Arnold’s acting chops? Does it hit differently if you are an old fashioned Conan fan? How does it compare to the Jason Momoa version? E-mail us at wearethecontrarians@gmail.com or share your thoughts with us on Threads or BlueSky!

There’s such a thing as Pre-Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger and, oh boy, it’s a tough experience to sit through. Exhibit A? CONAN THE BARBARIAN, which was appreciated by critics and audiences enough to get a sequel, despite featuring a wooden performance from Arnie and excessive slow-mo that would make Zack Snyder proud. Listen to Alex & Julio marvel at the T-800’s humble beginnings!

TIMELINE

00:01:24 Conan The Barbarian

00:14:28 Contrarians Corner

- Wanna know how we really feel about CONAN THE BARBARIAN? Check out the Real Talk (RT) episode, on your feed RIGHT NOW! (or pretty soon — Spotify can be a pain when it comes to refreshing the feed)

- Interested in more Contrarians goodness? Join THE CONTRARIANS SUPPLEMENTS on our Patreon Page! Deleted clips, extended plugs, bonus episodes free from the Tomatometer shackles… It’s everything a Contrarians devotee would want!

- Our YouTube page is live! Get some visual Contrarians delight with our Contrarians Warm-Ups and other fun videos!

- Contrarians Merch is finally here! Check out our RED BUBBLE MERCH PAGE and buy yourself something nice that’s emblazoned with one of our four different designs!

- THE FESTIVE YEARS have been letting us use their music for years now and they are amazing. You can check out their work on Spotify, on Facebook or on their very own website.

- Our buddy Cory Ahre is being kind enough to lend a hand with the editing of some of our videos. If you like his style, wait until you see what he does over on his YouTube Channel.

- THE LATE NIGHT GRIN isn’t just a show about wrestling: it’s a brand, a lifestyle. And they’re very supportive of our Contrarian endeavors, so we’d like to return the favor. Check out their YouTube Channel! You might even spot Alex there from time to time.

- Hans Rothgiesser, the man behind our logo, can be reached at @mildemonios on Twitter or you can email him at mildemonios@hotmail.com in case you ever need a logo (or comics) produced. And you can listen to him talk about economy on his new TV show, VALOR AGREGADO. Aaaaand you can also check out all the stuff he’s written on his own website. He has a new book: a sort of Economics For Dummies called MARGINAL. Ask him about it!

The third installment of Fresh Immigrants, Rotten Fascists focuses on The Sullivans - an Irish family trying to start anew in America. So, of course, the movie is called IN AMERICA! Directed by Jim Sheridan, with Oscar-nominated performances from Samantha Morton and Djimon Hounsou, it’s the kind of film that’s determined to make you cry, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Thank you for checking this new project out, whether you are a long-time Contrarians fan or someone who’s just trying to listen to people talking positively about immigrants and negatively about fascism. If you have any recommendations for future entries in the series, let us know!

- Many thanks to the amazing Jordan Cooper for composing our intro and outro. Fantastic collaborator to work with - and he has a They Might Be Giants podcast: DON’T LET’S START.

- Interested in more Contrarians goodness? Join THE CONTRARIANS SUPPLEMENTS on our Patreon Page! Deleted clips, extended plugs, bonus episodes free from the Tomatometer shackles… It’s everything a Contrarians devotee would want!

- Our YouTube page is live! Get some visual Contrarians delight with our Contrarians Warm-Ups and other fun videos!

- Our buddy Cory Ahre is being kind enough to lend a hand with the editing of some of our videos. If you like his style, wait until you see what he does over on his YouTube Channel.

- THE LATE NIGHT GRIN isn’t just a show about wrestling: it’s a brand, a lifestyle. And they’re very supportive of our Contrarian endeavors, so we’d like to return the favor. Check out their YouTube Channel! You might even spot Alex there from time to time.

- Hans Rothgiesser, the man behind our logo, can be reached at @mildemonios on Twitter or you can email him at mildemonios@hotmail.com in case you ever need a logo (or comics) produced. And you can listen to him talk about economy on his new TV show, VALOR AGREGADO. Aaaaand you can also check out all the stuff he’s written on his own website. He has a new book: a sort of Economics For Dummies called MARGINAL. Ask him about it!

Is there still room in modern society for the man-child R-rated comedy? Can bros still be funny, or are they mostly cringe these days? Either way, it certainly helps your movie when you have a stacked cast, populated by incredibly charismatic performers poised to take over Hollywood. THAT AWKWARD MOMENT would triple its budget today, but it could also get a more charitable read from critics. Find out how we really feel about it in this Real Talk segment!

TIMELINE

00:01:26 Smart Enough

00:02:25 Real Talk

00:43:46 The Future & Patreon Stuff

- Interested in more Contrarians goodness? Join THE CONTRARIANS SUPPLEMENTS on our Patreon Page! Deleted clips, extended plugs, bonus episodes free from the Tomatometer shackles… It’s everything a Contrarians devotee would want!

- Our YouTube page is live! Get some visual Contrarians delight with our Contrarians Warm-Ups and other fun videos!

- Contrarians Merch is finally here! Check out our RED BUBBLE MERCH PAGE and buy yourself something nice that’s emblazoned with one of our four different designs!

- THE FESTIVE YEARS have been letting us use their music for years now and they are amazing. You can check out their work on Spotify, on Facebook or on their very own website.

- Our buddy Cory Ahre is being kind enough to lend a hand with the editing of some of our videos. If you like his style, wait until you see what he does over on his YouTube Channel.

- THE LATE NIGHT GRIN isn’t just a show about wrestling: it’s a brand, a lifestyle. And they’re very supportive of our Contrarian endeavors, so we’d like to return the favor. Check out their YouTube Channel! You might even spot Alex there from time to time.

- Hans Rothgiesser, the man behind our logo, can be reached at @mildemonios on Twitter or you can email him at mildemonios@hotmail.com in case you ever need a logo (or comics) produced. And you can listen to him talk about economy on his new TV show, VALOR AGREGADO. Aaaaand you can also check out all the stuff he’s written on his own website. He has a new book: a sort of Economics For Dummies called MARGINAL. Ask him about it!

Up next, we grab a sword and put on sandals as we travel back to The 80s to tackle the very first CONAN THE BARBARIAN! Until then, let us know what you thought of That Awkward Moment: Guilty pleasure or exactly what the film industry needs right now? How much would you pay for that Llewyn Davis crossover? And why isn’t Mackenzie Davis in more things? E-mail us at wearethecontrarians@gmail.com or share your thoughts with us on Threads or BlueSky!