Grave Tone: Horror Podcast

Passenger (2026) Review: Is Øvredal's Road Trip Demon Worth Seeing?

Passenger (2026) review: André Øvredal returns to horror with a supernatural road trip that looks incredible and scares hard, but leaves questions unanswered. In this episode, we dig into the Autopsy of Jane Doe director's latest film, where a young couple's van life adventure turns into a demonic nightmare after they stop at a fatal highway crash. Lou Llobell and Jacob Scipio play Maddie and Tyler, and we talk about what works (the cinematography by Federico Verardi is genuinely stunning), what surprised us (a few jump scares we did not see coming), and where the story falls apart. The religious mythology around the Passenger entity feels half-baked, the character lore is thin, and the whole thing could have come out a decade ago and felt the same. We get into spoiler territory on the hobo code, the Saint Christopher symbology, and what the film does (and doesn't) answer about its own monster. Plus: where Passenger fits in an absolutely stacked May 2026 for original horror, how it compares to Hokum, Obsession, and At the Place of Ghosts, and why Backrooms is the one we cannot wait for next week. Featuring: André Øvredal, Lou Llobell, Jacob Scipio, Melissa Leo, Joseph Lopez, Federico Verardi, T.W. Burgess, and Zachary Donohue.   André Øvredal's Road Horror Legacy *      Passenger is Øvredal's follow-up to The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023), continuing his pattern of never repeating a sub-genre twice. Previous credits include Trollhunter (2010), The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016), and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019). *      Written by T.W. Burgess and Zachary Donohue, produced by Walter Hamada (18Hz Productions) and Gary Dauberman (Coin Operated), distributed by Paramount Pictures.      Cast and Performances in Passenger (2026) *      Lou Llobell stars as Maddie, bringing depth to a character wrestling with abandonment and stability. Llobell is known for her role in Foundation on Apple TV+. Jacob Scipio plays Tyler, the van life enthusiast with a complicated relationship to home and routine. *      Academy Award winner Melissa Leo (The Fighter, 2010) plays Diana, the figure who introduces the couple to the road's mythology. Joseph Lopez plays the Passenger entity itself.      Cinematography and Visual Craft *      Cinematographer Federico Verardi delivers standout sequences: the hazard light flat tire scene, the film projector in the forest (with Roman Holiday overlaying onto the trees), and the continuously rotating parking lot shot where the van drifts further away with each turn. *      The visual work is the strongest element of the film; even mixed reviews acknowledge that Passenger is a gorgeous-looking movie.      Supernatural Rules and Road Mythology *      The Passenger attaches itself to travelers who break the road rules: do not drive at night, and never stop for anything. The hosts dig into the hobo code symbols that appear throughout the film, Saint Christopher as the patron saint of travelers, and the religious symbology that doesn't fully connect to the entity's origins. *      Both hosts agree the lore is undercooked; the exposition feels rushed or possibly edited down from a longer cut.      May 2026: An Insane Month for Original Horror *      Passenger opens in a month stacked with Hokum (Damien McCarthy / NEON), At the Place of Ghosts, Obsession, and the highly anticipated Backrooms (A24, May 29). The hosts discuss how this scheduling may have hurt Passenger's reception. *      Grave Tone:  Horror Podcast crew previews Backrooms and flags Saccharin and Corporate Retreat as additional titles they're tracking for late May 2026.      Ratings and Final Verdict *      Meaghan: 4.5/10 — effective scares and strong cinematography, but generic writing and unresolved mythology pull it down. *      Arthur: 5/10 — solid jump scares and cool transitions, likable characters who make smart decisions, but ultimately middle of the road. Follow us & Subscribe: * Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4cDXMsw8BCA3wxmRYkFAkA?si=f60fcfebfc26483e] * Apple Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grave-tone/id1822281566] * TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@gravetonepod] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/gravetonepod/] * Threads [https://www.threads.com/@gravetonepod?hl=en] * Grave Tone Horror Podcast Website [https://gravetonepod.com/] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Obsession Review: The Best Horror Movie of 2026 Just Arrived

Obsession (2026) review: Curry Barker's horror film is terrifying, hilarious, and emotionally devastating. We rate it 9.5/10. Arthur and Meaghan review Obsession, the new supernatural horror from 26-year-old writer/director Curry Barker. We break down Inde Navarrette's award-worthy performance as Nikki, the be-careful-what-you-wish-for premise powered by the One Wish Willow, Barker's rise from YouTube comedy (That's a Bad Idea, Milk & Serial) to a Focus Features horror classic, and why this might be the best horror movie of 2026. We cover the cast (Michael Johnston, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, Andy Richter), the TIFF premiere and $15M bidding war, comparisons to Get Out and Talk to Me, the comedy-to-horror pipeline, toxic relationship horror, and every scene that had our hands sweating. Discussed in this episode: Obsession (2026): The Horror Event of the Year *      Written, directed, and edited by Curry Barker; produced by Blumhouse, Tea Shop Productions, Capstone Studios; distributed by Focus Features *      Premiered at TIFF 2025 (Midnight Madness); screened at SXSW 2026; theatrical release May 15, 2026 *      Currently holds 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and 83 on Metacritic; sold to Focus Features for over $15 million after a 24-hour bidding war involving A24 and Neon *      We rate Obsession 9.5 out of 10 digs; one of the highest scores we've ever given on the podcast Curry Barker: The Comedy-to-Horror Pipeline *      Co-creator of YouTube comedy channel That's a Bad Idea with Cooper Tomlinson; rose to viral fame with the $800-budget short film Milk & Serial (2024), which hit 2.3 million views on YouTube [LINK: Milk & Serial on YouTube] *      Follows the comedy-to-horror trajectory of Jordan Peele (Get Out), Zach Cregger (Barbarian, Weapons), and the Philippou brothers (Talk to Me) *      Next project: Anything But Ghosts (Focus Features) starring Aaron Paul, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Violet McGraw; also attached to write and direct a new Texas Chain Saw Massacre    The Cast: An Ensemble That Hits Every Note *      Michael Johnston (Teen Wolf) as Bear (Baron); a performance that keeps you locked into his guilt and desperation the entire runtime *      Inde Navarrette (Superman & Lois) as Nikki Freeman; a star-making, award-worthy turn that shifts from charming to demonic in a heartbeat; comparisons to Mia Goth in Pearl [LINK: Inde Navarrette Interview Magazine profile] *      Cooper Tomlinson as Ian, Megan Lawless as Sarah, Andy Richter (Conan) as Carter; the friend group chemistry feels genuinely lived-in    Be Careful What You Wish For: The Horror of the One Wish Willow *      Premise rooted in the monkey's paw trope; Barker cites The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror as direct inspiration *      Bear's wish ("I wish for her to love me more than anyone in the world") triggers a supernatural curse that strips Nikki of her autonomy and replaces her with something terrifying *      Comparisons to Get Out (the sunken place), Black Mirror, Bedazzled, and Fatal Attraction    Psychological Horror and Toxic Relationship Themes *      Obsession explores infatuation versus love, codependence, unrequited feelings, and what it means to remove someone's agency for your own comfort *      Bear's natural chemistry with Sarah's character highlights how forced and artificial his "relationship" with cursed Nikki really is *      The customer support hotline scene condenses everything great about the movie into two minutes: comedy, horror, and devastating emotional stakes all at once    Standout Moments and Horror Craft *      The corner scene: Nikki standing in the dark at 3 AM with a slow, jerky shuffle; the entire theater shifted in discomfort *      The duct tape door and lingering Smile-like grin; the demon-eye lighting at the front door; practical effects and a head-smashing scene that was trimmed to avoid an NC-17 rating *      Barker's editing instincts: knowing when to ramp intensity and when to pull back for quieter character moments is remarkable for a filmmaker this young Follow us & Subscribe: * Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4cDXMsw8BCA3wxmRYkFAkA?si=f60fcfebfc26483e] * Apple Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grave-tone/id1822281566] * TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@gravetonepod] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/gravetonepod/] * Threads [https://www.threads.com/@gravetonepod?hl=en] * Grave Tone Horror Podcast Website [https://gravetonepod.com/] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

At the Place of Ghosts Review: TIFF Standout Finally Hits Theatres

At the Place of Ghosts is the kind of film that stays with you long after the credits. Bretten Hannam's Mi'kmaq supernatural thriller follows two estranged brothers, Mise'l and Antle, who are forced back together when a malevolent spirit from their shared childhood begins poisoning them from the inside out. Their only option: enter Sk+te'kmujue'katik, the Place of Ghosts, a forest where time folds on itself and the living walk alongside ancestors, future selves, and the traumas they tried to leave behind. Arthur and Meaghan break down everything that makes this Canadian indigenous horror film work so well; the nonlinear storytelling that never loses you, the stunning Nova Scotia cinematography by Guy Godfree, the powerhouse performances from Forrest Goodluck and Blake Alec Miranda, and the way the film explores generational trauma, queerness, two-spirit identity, and Mi'kmaq culture without ever shoving it in your face. Premiering at TIFF 2025 and now hitting Canadian theatres on May 8, 2026 via VVS Films, this is a slow burn supernatural drama wrapped in a ghost story wrapped back into a drama again. Meaghan goes 9/10. Arthur's at a solid 8. Neither of them can find much to complain about, and honestly that almost never happens. In this episode, we cover: • Why the nonlinear storytelling actually works • The film's exploration of generational trauma and two-spirit identity • Stunning cinematography and the technical achievement of shooting in remote forests • How this compares to the current wave of indigenous horror • Red Dress Day, Moose Hide Campaign Day, and indigenous heritage resources • Book recommendations: Highway of Tears, Five Little Indians, Bad Cree, Never Whistle at Night At the Place of Ghosts releases in Canadian theatres May 8, 2026.   ABOUT THE FILM * At the Place of Ghosts (Sk+te'kmujue'katik) directed and written by Bretten Hannam; a Canada/Belgium co-production * Starring Forrest Goodluck as Antle, Blake Alec Miranda as Mise'l, and Glen Gould as their father * Cinematography by Guy Godfree; score by Jeremy Dutcher * World premiere at TIFF 2025 (Platform Prize program); Canadian theatrical release May 8, 2026 via VVS Films * Hannam's previous feature: Wildhood (2021), also exploring indigenous identity and brotherhood MI'KMAQ CULTURE, TWO-SPIRIT IDENTITY, AND GENERATIONAL TRAUMA * The Mi'kmaq are indigenous peoples primarily residing in Atlantic Canada (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI, Newfoundland and Labrador) and parts of Maine * The film features dialogue in both English and the Mi'kmaq language * Exploration of two-spirit identity and gender fluidity within indigenous communities * The impact of residential schools and colonialism on generational trauma, identity, and family dynamics INDIGENOUS HERITAGE DAYS AND RESOURCES * Red Dress Day (May 5): Commemorating missing and murdered indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people; originated from a 2010 art installation by Métis artist Jamie Black [LINK: Amnesty International MMIWG resources [https://amnesty.ca/red-dress-day/]] * Moose Hide Campaign Day (May 14): Grassroots movement engaging men and boys to end violence against indigenous women and children [LINK: moosehidecampaign.ca] * National Day of Truth and Reconciliation (September 30): Also known as Orange Shirt Day INDIGENOUS LITERATURE RECOMMENDATIONS * Highway of Tears by Jessica McDiarmid; nonfiction investigating missing and murdered indigenous women along Highway 16 in BC * Five Little Indians by Michelle Good; fiction based on real events about children escaping the residential school system * Bad Cree by Jessica Johns; supernatural indigenous horror novel * Never Whistle at Night edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.; bestselling indigenous dark fiction anthology. Sequel (Back for Blood) coming August 2026 WHAT'S NEXT * Next week: Obsession by Curry Barker (in theatres May 15). Barker recently tapped to direct A24's Texas Chainsaw Massacre reimagining Follow us & Subscribe: * Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4cDXMsw8BCA3wxmRYkFAkA?si=f60fcfebfc26483e] * Apple Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grave-tone/id1822281566] * TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@gravetonepod] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/gravetonepod/] * Threads [https://www.threads.com/@gravetonepod?hl=en] * Grave Tone Horror Podcast Website [https://gravetonepod.com/] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Annie Neugebauer Talks The Extra, The Other, and Horror That Won't Let Go

Annie Neugebauer is a two-time Bram Stoker Award-nominated horror author, and her work gets under your skin the way only the best psychological horror can. In this interview, we sit down with Annie to talk about The Outsiders Sequence, her series of wilderness horror novellas published through Shortwave Publishing, including her debut novella The Extra and the upcoming follow-up The Other, dropping June 9, 2026. We get into the big questions: what draws a writer to horror fiction in the first place, and why does the genre still carry a stigma when books like Interview with the Vampire and The Shining have been proving otherwise for decades? Annie talks about the power of mundane horror, how grounding a story in everyday life lets it slip past the reader's defenses, and why short fiction gives horror writers the freedom to take risks that longer formats don't always allow. We also dig into the concept Annie calls the "force field" in horror storytelling: the mechanism every horror writer needs to keep characters trapped in the story. From Stephen King's The Tommyknockers to Cabin in the Woods, and the very real problem that cell phones created for the genre (R.L. Stine agrees, by the way), this conversation covers the craft of building dread in a modern world that makes isolation harder and harder to pull off. Annie shares the books that stuck with her the most, from A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay to Broken Harbor by Tana French, and we play a round of horror survival scenarios that tells you everything you need to know about her relationship with the genre. She also teases two major unannounced projects that she describes as "dream come true level." Whether you read literary horror for the slow-burn dread or just want a good popcorn scare, this one is for you. ANNIE NEUGEBAUER: HORROR AUTHOR AND THE OUTSIDERS SEQUENCE * Annie Neugebauer is a two-time Bram Stoker Award-nominated short story author, nationally award-winning poet, and horror novelist * Her debut novella The Extra is the first book in The Outsiders Sequence, published by Shortwave Publishing; her short story collection You Have to Let Them Bleed is from Bad Hand Books * The Other (Outsiders Sequence #2) drops June 9, 2026; a couple meets their doppelgangers on a hiking trail; The Spare follows in spring 2027 * Annie teases two major unannounced projects described as "dream come true level" — follow her at [LINK: annieneugebauer.com] and @AnnieNeugebauer on Instagram LITERARY HORROR VS. POPCORN HORROR: THE CASE FOR BOTH * Annie makes the case that literary horror and commercial horror both have value; sometimes you need popcorn, sometimes you need to be challenged * The conversation covers how Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire was proof that horror can do "important things and deep things and powerful things" * Discussion of Ari Aster films (Midsommar, Hereditary) vs. franchise horror like The Conjuring and what each gives the audience MUNDANE HORROR AND THE ART OF SLOW-BURN DREAD * Annie's approach to mundane horror: grounding stories in real life to get under the reader's defenses before the horror fully lands * The horror that stays with you; Annie's "stuck in me" criterion for what separates good horror from unforgettable horror * Books that achieved this: A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay, Broken Harbor by Tana French, The Shining, Salem's Lot, Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman THE FORCE FIELD PROBLEM AND CELL PHONES IN MODERN HORROR * Annie's concept of the "force field" in horror: every story needs a mechanism to trap characters in the situation * From Stephen King's The Tommyknockers to Cabin in the Woods: literal and metaphorical containment strategies * R.L. Stine recently called cell phones the worst thing to happen for horror, and Annie agrees; wilderness settings provide a natural force field for modern horror SHORT FICTION VS. NOVELS: DIFFERENT BEASTS, SAME GENRE * Annie writes everything from poems to epic novels, but short fiction lets her take risks with faster reader buy-in * The practical side: publishers can gamble on an unknown short story author in an anthology more easily than on a 120,000-word debut novel * How The Outsiders Sequence evolved: each novella can stand alone but connects through a shared world; editor Alan Lastufka accidentally planted the seed for the series HORROR SURVIVAL SCENARIOS AND CHILDHOOD SCARES * Annie plays a round of horror survival scenarios: would survive the Overlook Hotel, would lose her psyche at Hill House, would make it decently far in Cabin in the Woods, and accepts her fate in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery * Childhood horror confessions: Annie was deeply traumatized by both Anaconda and E.T. as a kid (the stuffed animal scene especially) * Discussion of horror in the school curriculum: Edgar Allan Poe, Shirley Jackson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde from seventh grade through high school Follow us & Subscribe: * Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4cDXMsw8BCA3wxmRYkFAkA?si=f60fcfebfc26483e] * Apple Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grave-tone/id1822281566] * TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@gravetonepod] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/gravetonepod/] * Threads [https://www.threads.com/@gravetonepod?hl=en] * Grave Tone Horror Podcast Website [https://gravetonepod.com/] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. 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Hokum Review: Damian McCarthy's Best Horror Movie Yet?

Hokum review: Damian McCarthy's new horror movie is a near-perfect Irish folk horror film starring Adam Scott. We break down everything. Hokum just dropped, and we had to talk about it immediately. Damian McCarthy, the director behind Oddity and Caveat, delivered something special here. Adam Scott plays Ohm Bauman, a horror writer who checks into a remote Irish hotel to scatter his parents' ashes and ends up locked in a haunted honeymoon suite with a witch, a missing woman, and a conspiracy that's entirely human. This is a full spoiler review (with a warning before we get into it). We cover Adam Scott's performance, McCarthy's visual style, the incredible use of lighting and sound design, comparisons to Stephen King's 1408 and The Shining, and why this might be one of the best horror movies of 2026.   DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE: Hokum (2026) — Dir. Damian McCarthy — Neon Cast: Adam Scott, David Wilmot, Peter Coonan, Florence Ordesh, Michael Patric, Will O'Connell Also referenced: Oddity, Caveat, Severance, 1408, Secret Window, The Shining, Amnesia: The Dark Descent   HOKUM: THE MOVIE AND WHY IT WORKS * Damian McCarthy's third feature after Caveat (2020) and Oddity (2024); currently sitting at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes * Adam Scott stars as Ohm Bauman, a reclusive horror novelist who checks into a remote Irish inn to scatter his parents' ashes * Folk horror meets haunted hotel; supernatural elements wrap a deeply human story about grief, guilt, and who the real villains are * Distributed by Neon; premiered at SXSW in March 2026; theatrical release May 1, 2026 THE CAST OF HOKUM: WHO'S WHO AT THE BILBERRY WOODS HOTEL * Adam Scott as Ohm Bauman; David Wilmot as Jerry (you'll love him); Peter Coonan as Mal * Florence Ordesh as Fiona the bartender; Michael Patric as Fergal the groundskeeper; Will O'Connell as Alby the bellhop * Adam Scott watched Oddity, got obsessed, and essentially cast himself by cold-contacting McCarthy directly DAMIAN MCCARTHY: FROM ELECTRICIAN TO HORROR AUTEUR * McCarthy was a working electrician in West Cork while making micro-budget shorts on weekends * After festival rejections, he uploaded "He Dies at the End" to YouTube; it went viral and launched his career * The character name "Ohm" is a nod to the electrical unit of resistance (and to McCarthy's own resistance to returning to that career) * McCarthy edited Oddity himself on weekends over eighteen months; had an early draft of Hokum in the drawer the whole time ATMOSPHERE AND VISUAL STYLE: HORROR IN THE DARK * Cinematographer Colm Hogan returns from Oddity; heavy use of natural light, oil lanterns, and oppressive shadow * The lighting doubles as character work: Ohm's darkness is literal and metaphorical from the opening scene * Comparisons to Amnesia: The Dark Descent for the lantern-only exploration sequences STEPHEN KING VIBES AND GENRE COMPARISONS * Strong parallels to 1408 (grumpy writer, haunted hotel room), Secret Window (writer psychology), and The Shining (isolated hotel) * McCarthy's recurring device: objects from previous films appear (Caveat's bunny in Oddity; Oddity's bell in Hokum) * The film's title itself means "nonsense" — reflecting how the characters (and maybe the audience) first treat the witch folklore COMING UP ON GRAVE TONE * Interview with horror author Annie Nugabauer on her upcoming projects * Interview with Rye Barrett (Johnny in In a Violent Nature) on the sequel and the Canadian horror scene * May 2026 horror slate: Obsession, Saccharine, Corporate Retreat, Passenger, Backrooms, Pitfall Follow us & Subscribe: * Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4cDXMsw8BCA3wxmRYkFAkA?si=f60fcfebfc26483e] * Apple Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grave-tone/id1822281566] * TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@gravetonepod] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/gravetonepod/] * Threads [https://www.threads.com/@gravetonepod?hl=en] * Grave Tone Horror Podcast Website [https://gravetonepod.com/] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.