The Polar Express

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

This week on Just The Thing, we re-release one of our old Patreon episodes as it's becoming more and more relevant in the lead up to Avengers: Doomsday. Yes, we're dropping the shapeshifting nightmare from The Thing into the bright, optimistic world of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, a film that already features a Thing! Find us on social media https://linktr.ee/justthethingpod [https://linktr.ee/justthethingpod] Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio [https://karlcasey.bandcamp.com/]

Predator: Badlands

This week on Just The Thing, we head into space again with Predator: Badlands, and for the first time in the show’s history, Joel and Chris find themselves on opposite sides of the battlefield. Joel had a surprisingly good time with this new entry in the franchise… Chris, on the other hand, absolutely did not. Along the way they revisit the original Predator, discuss where the series has gone since, and Chris gets stuck on an important piece of world-building: do Predators use toilets? Eventually, as always, the conversation circles back to the real question: what happens when you drop the creature from The Thing into a Predator hunting ground? Would the ultimate hunter recognise the ultimate imitator — or would it already be too late? Find us on social media https://linktr.ee/justthethingpod [https://linktr.ee/justthethingpod] Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio [https://karlcasey.bandcamp.com/]

Frankenstein (2025)

In this episode of Just The Thing, Joel and Chris turn to one of cinema’s oldest monsters as we explore the legacy of Frankenstein — from its gothic roots to Guillermo del Toro’s lush, tragic reinterpretation. Joel and Chris dig into a story already obsessed with life, death, and very bad parenting decisions to try to answer the eternal question: who would win in a fight between The Thing and Frankenstein's monster? We unpack del Toro’s visual flair, the shifting portrayals of Victor and his Creature, and the recurring themes of responsibility, masculinity, and birth that have haunted the story for over two centuries. There’s dark humour, questionable science, performance chat, and the inevitable spiral into philosophical territory. Find us on social media https://linktr.ee/justthethingpod [https://linktr.ee/justthethingpod] Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio [https://karlcasey.bandcamp.com/]

Double Impact with Ross Boyask

This week on Just The Thing, John Carpenter’s shapeshifting nightmare crashes head-first into peak JCVD as we drop The Thing into Double Impact. Joining Joel and Chris for a third time is filmmaker Ross Boyask (I Am Vengeance, Ten Dead Men), bringing expert insight to this epic action classic. Can The Thing outmanoeuvre not one but two Van Dammes? Along the way, we veer gloriously off course into Renegade, Chris’s increasingly persuasive theory that JCVD has a real-life twin, and—inevitably—a detour into the strange world of Steven Seagal. Find us on social media https://linktr.ee/justthethingpod [https://linktr.ee/justthethingpod] Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio [https://karlcasey.bandcamp.com/]

The Polar Express

This week on Just The Thing, Chris and Joel are joined by returning guests Alex Jessep and Matt O'Dwyer. Together, they take on festive nightmare fuel by dropping John Carpenter’s shapeshifting horror into The Polar Express. What happens when a story built on belief, warmth, and hot chocolate meets a creature that thrives on mistrust and imitation? Can paranoia derail Christmas magic? And at will Chris, Alex and Matt be able to beat this year's musical Christmas quiz? Music: Hark the Herald Angels Sing by Gravsten [https://gravsten.bandcamp.com/album/krampusmas-a-dungeon-synth-christmas] All I Want For Christmas by Ethereal Delusions [https://retrosynthrecords.bandcamp.com/track/ethereal-delusions-all-i-want-for-christmas] Find us on social media https://linktr.ee/justthethingpod [https://linktr.ee/justthethingpod] Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio [https://karlcasey.bandcamp.com/]