“We all float down here.”
Join Ian & Kev, along with BFF of the BFE: James DeGuzman, for our 302nd episode as we descend into the sewers of Derry, Maine, and confront childhood trauma, red balloons, and Stephen King nightmare fuel with It: Chapter One (2017). Megs and Liam? They said they weren’t afraid of clowns… right up until Pennywise offered them a balloon. We’re hoping they resurface soon.
This week we discuss:
Why It tapped into a new generation’s fear of clowns — and whether it’s earned or just clever filmmaking.
Bill Skarsgård’s terrifying turn as Pennywise — physicality, psychology, and drool.
How the film balances coming-of-age warmth with soul-shaking horror — friendship vs. fear.
King’s original novel vs. the adaptation — what gets streamlined, what gets lost, and what gets under your skin.
Does this film prove that horror is strongest when it’s tied to universal childhood anxieties?
How the film is able to position that early coming-of-age feelings of romance without coming across as creepy
The Losers’ Club: perfect casting? We break down who stands out and who feels underserved.
Why the sewer sequences and the house on Neibolt Street raise the bar for modern horror set pieces.
Ian talks about narrative structure and why splitting the story into “kid chapter” and “adult chapter” was the smartest possible move.
James brings the expert scare analysis — and takes the BFE to task over their anti-horror bias
Does Pennywise’s final reveal hold up — or does CGI drain the fear away?
And finally, whether It: Chapter One is the Best Film Ever — or just the best nightmare you’ll keep watching anyway.
Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE
We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:
Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
Hermes Auslander
James DeGuzman
Synthia
Shai Bergerfroind
Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
Andy Dickson
Chris Pedersen
Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
Randal Silva
Nate The Great
Rev Bruce
Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
Richard
Ryan Kuketz
Dirk Diggler
Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
NorfolkDomus
John Humphrey's Right Foot
Timmy Tim Tim
Aashrey
Paul Komoroski
Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.
Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.
Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/
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4:29:57
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4:29:57
Episode 301 - Poltergeist
“They’re heeere…”
Join Ian & Megs for our 301st episode as we grab the remote, face the static, and step into the spectral suburbia of Poltergeist (1982). Liam and Kev? They’re not with us this week — the house they were recording in was built on an ancient podcast burial ground. We haven’t heard from them since, but we’re getting some weird interference through the TV…
This week we discuss:
301 episodes in — how did we make it this far without getting dragged into the light?
How Poltergeist terrified an entire generation while redefining the modern haunted house movie.
The age-old debate: how much of this film was Tobe Hooper and how much was Steven Spielberg pulling the spectral strings?
Why the film’s suburban setting hits harder than gothic castles or spooky mansions — horror in the heart of normality.
The infamous curse surrounding the film’s production — what’s real, what’s coincidence, and what’s just chilling.
Is Poltergeist actually a family drama disguised as horror, and why does that emotional core make the scares land harder?
Ian breaks down the film’s special effects and practical wizardry — how they still hold up decades later.
Ian also shares about some childhood traumas regarding losing beloved toys at school while Megs reminds him that's why you don't bring valuable stuff in
Why Poltergeist manages to be scary without ever really being gory — and whether that balance is what makes it timeless.
Why do they have a magic remote control and was the guy costuming Dana a creep?
And finally, whether Poltergeist is the Best Film Ever — or just the reason we still side-eye our static screens.
Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE
We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:
Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
Hermes Auslander
James DeGuzman
Synthia
Shai Bergerfroind
Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
Andy Dickson
Chris Pedersen
Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
Randal Silva
Nate The Great
Rev Bruce
Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
Richard
Ryan Kuketz
Dirk Diggler
Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
NorfolkDomus
John Humphrey's Right Foot
Timmy Tim Tim
Aashrey
Paul Komoroski
Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.
Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.
Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/
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2:23:01
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2:23:01
Episode 300 - 300
“THIS… IS… EPISODE 300!”
Join Ian, Liam, Megs & Kev as we hit a huge milestone with our 300th episode by reviewing Zack Snyder’s visually explosive, slow-motion-soaked epic 300 (2006). Four hosts, six-packs optional, and absolutely no capes required — though Kev may or may not have shown up in one.
This week we discuss:
300 episodes strong — how did we get here, and who yelled the loudest doing it?
How 300 redefined the look of early-2000s cinema and became the blueprint for a decade of digital epics.
Is 300 the natural endpoint of a cinematic obsession with masculinity that began with Braveheart and Gladiator?
Just exactly how much does this movie borrow from these films and which elements does it outright steal
How the film balances mythic masculinity with questionable historical accuracy — and does it matter?
Megs is here to give us some historically accurate statements on the battle of Thermopylae
We've got a classic BFE taste test of a product you won't believe
Several people reach out to congratulate us and some familiar voices show up to toast with us
Which one of us would make the best Spartan, and which one would be sent to tell the story?
The surprising cultural impact of “This is Sparta!” — and which line from the movie we’ve all been yelling at each other for days.
Ian breaks down the film’s visual language and pacing — why Snyder’s comic-book literalism both elevates and limits the story.
And finally, whether 300 is the Best Film Ever—or just the most gloriously sweaty milestone we could’ve picked.
Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE
We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:
Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
Hermes Auslander
James DeGuzman
Synthia
Shai Bergerfroind
Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
Andy Dickson
Chris Pedersen
Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
Randal Silva
Nate The Great
Rev Bruce
Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
Richard
Ryan Kuketz
Dirk Diggler
Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
NorfolkDomus
John Humphrey's Right Foot
Timmy Tim Tim
Aashrey
Paul Komoroski
Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.
Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.
Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/
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3:50:25
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3:50:25
Episode 299 - To Die For
You're not anyone unless you're on a podcast - It’s a full house this week as Ian, Liam, Megs & Kev are all actually in studio together for our 299th episode, sinking our teeth into Gus Van Sant’s razor-sharp media satire To Die For (1995). That’s right—no Zoom delays; no apologies, best wishes or excuses, just four podcasters, four microphones, and an unhealthy fascination with fame. We're skating on thin ice in our 299th episode as we discuss:
We learn the name under which Joaquin Phoenix’s early films were classified—and why it might surprise you.
There’s a lot of talk about what day of the week the podcast actually comes out on (and whether any of us even know).
We all want to enter the alternate casting universe to see who the producers wanted to play Suzanne—and whether that version of the film would’ve worked at all.
Is Suzanne Stone one of Nicole Kidman’s greatest performances—or is she just too good at being awful?
How the film predicted the age of reality TV and social media fame years before they existed.
What’s the line between ambition and sociopathy—and where does Suzanne fall on that spectrum?
How Van Sant uses tone to walk the line between dark comedy and true crime tragedy.
Why To Die For feels both 1990s and frighteningly current in 2025.
Which scene left us most uncomfortable—and which line still gets a nervous laugh.
And finally, whether To Die For is the Best Film Ever—or just the most chillingly relevant film you’ve never revisited.
Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE
We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:
Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
Hermes Auslander
James DeGuzman
Synthia
Shai Bergerfroind
Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
Andy Dickson
Chris Pedersen
Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
Randal Silva
Nate The Great
Rev Bruce
Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
Richard
Ryan Kuketz
Dirk Diggler
Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
NorfolkDomus
John Humphrey's Right Foot
Timmy Tim Tim
Aashrey
Paul Komoroski
Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.
Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.
Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/
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3:10:42
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3:10:42
Episode 298 - The Social Network
“You don’t get to nearly 300 episodes without making a few enemies.”
Join Ian, Liam & Kev for our 298th episode as we log on, code furiously, and sue each other over The Social Network (2010). Megs? She’s not with us this week—she’s in “Facebook jail” for excessive poking (it was bound to happen). We're carrying around a chicken for a week in our 298th episode as we discuss:
Our best day for downloads ever—and it’s not even close.
Our trip to an award show (well… kind of).
A new Patreon joins the fold—proof we’re building our very own social network.
Just how much credit should the money man get vs the idea man?
What is it that makes Aaron Sorkin’s writing so great—and why does this film feel like it moves at the speed of thought?
What’s the one part we think the film gets wrong?
Does the absence of errors make a film a masterpiece—or does it need a few rough edges to feel human?
Jesse Eisenberg as Zuckerberg: sympathetic genius or socially awkward supervillain?
Fincher’s precision—how much of the film’s impact comes from direction versus dialogue?
And finally, whether The Social Network is the Best Film Ever—or just the sharpest film of the 2010s.
Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE
We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:
Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
Hermes Auslander
James DeGuzman
Synthia
Shai Bergerfroind
Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most
Andy Dickson
Chris Pedersen
Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
Randal Silva
Nate The Great
Rev Bruce
Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
Richard
Ryan Kuketz
Dirk Diggler
Stew from the Stew World Order podcast
NorfolkDomus
John Humphrey's Right Foot
Timmy Tim Tim
Aashrey
Paul Komoroski
Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/.
Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.
Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/
New Zealand