Friday Night Frightfest

Ready or Not - 1 and 2

This week on Friday Night Frightfest, we are celebrating the ultimate “bad in-laws” survival guide! We’re revisiting the film that turned a wedding night into a heavy-metal bloodbath and comparing it to its highly anticipated, high-stakes sequel. We’re pitting the 2019 cult hit Ready or Not against the brand-new, expanded chaos of Ready or Not 2 (2026). Hide your crossbows and lace up your sneakers—it’s time for a family reunion from hell. Ready or Not (2019) Directed by the Radio Silence team (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett), this film introduced us to Grace (Samara Weaving), a bride whose wedding night takes a sinister turn when her eccentric, wealthy new in-laws force her to take part in a terrifying tradition. After drawing the “Hide and Seek” card from a mysterious box, Grace becomes the prey in a ritualistic hunt designed to appease a demonic entity named Mr. Le Bail. Blending razor-sharp satire with visceral gore, the film is a masterclass in survival horror, anchored by Weaving’s iconic, cigarette-smoking, blood-soaked performance in a shredded wedding dress. Ready or Not 2 (2026) Picking up years after the explosive (literally) finale of the first film, Ready or Not 2 sees Samara Weaving return as Grace, who has spent the intervening years trying to outrun the legacy of the Le Domas family. However, the curse of Mr. Le Bail isn’t so easily broken. Directed by Adam Robitel (Escape Room), the sequel scales up the carnage as Grace discovers that the “game” has gone global. A new generation of the elite has gathered for a “Tournament of Champions,” and Grace is the ultimate prize. This time, she isn’t just hiding—she’s hunting, utilizing an arsenal of traps and her hard-earned survival instincts to take down the one percent once and for all. ---------------------------------------- Join us as we discuss the evolution of Grace from a terrified bride to a seasoned warrior. We’ll break down the pitch-black comedy of the original’s mansion-setting versus the massive, “battle royale” energy of the 2026 sequel. Does the follow-up live up to the “explosive” reputation of the first, and is Samara Weaving officially our favorite modern horror icon? Tune in to find out if anyone makes it out alive! Spoilers start around 4:12.

undertone and Broadcast Signal Intrusion

This week on Friday Night Frightfest, we are exploring the terror of “Found Audio” and hijacked airwaves. We’re looking at how a simple recording can become a gateway to obsession and ancient evil. We’re comparing A24’s latest descent into audible terror, undertone (2026), with the gritty, neo-noir mystery of Broadcast Signal Intrusion (2021). Whether it’s a podcast co-host sending you cursed files or a masked figure interrupting the nightly news, these films prove that some signals should never be decoded. undertone (2026) Written and directed by Ian Tuason in a stunning directorial debut, undertone (stylized in all lowercase) is a masterclass in claustrophobic sound design. Nina Kiri stars as Evy, a skeptical horror podcast host who has moved back into her childhood home to care for her dying, comatose mother. When her co-host Justin (Adam DiMarco) receives a series of anonymous audio recordings, Evy begins to hear hidden messages in reverse—unearthing the legend of Abyzou, a demon that targets mothers and the unborn. Filmed in Tuason’s own family home, the movie never leaves the house, trapping the audience in a sonic nightmare where the silence is just as terrifying as the screams. Broadcast Signal Intrusion (2021) Directed by Jacob Gentry, this film takes us back to the late 90s and the world of analog obsession. Harry Shum Jr. stars as James, a video archivist grieving the disappearance of his wife. While digitizing old tapes, he stumbles upon a “broadcast signal intrusion”—a terrifying pirate broadcast featuring a person in a white, uncanny-valley mask. James falls down a rabbit hole of BBS message boards and urban legends, convinced that these intrusions are linked to a string of missing women. It’s a stylish, “cold” thriller that blends the aesthetic of The Ring with the paranoid conspiracy of Zodiac, proving that the search for the truth can be a death sentence. Join us as we discuss the “New Wave” of audio-centric horror. Spoilers start around 6:30.

Scream 7 and The Final Girls

This week on Friday Night Frightfest, we are pushing the boundaries of reality and the silver screen. We’re comparing the highly anticipated, full-circle return of the Ghostface saga, Scream 7 (2026), with the ultimate “meta” love letter to 80s slashers, The Final Girls (2015). It’s an episode dedicated to the women who survive, the rules they break, and the generational impact of slasher trauma. Scream 7 (2026) Directed by the franchise’s original creator, Kevin Williamson, Scream 7 is a massive cinematic event that brings the story back to its roots. After the chaos in New York, we return to a more intimate but no less deadly focus on Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), who is now fighting to protect her own family—specifically her daughter, Tatum (Isabel May). The film leans heavily into the 30-year legacy of the franchise, examining the trauma of being the world’s most famous “Final Girl” while introducing a Ghostface that seems to know Sidney better than she knows herself. It’s a sophisticated, brutal, and emotional homecoming that asks: can you ever truly leave the horror behind? The Final Girls (2015) Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson, this cult favorite is a brilliant, neon-soaked blend of horror-comedy and emotional drama. Max (Taissa Farmiga) is a teenager mourning the death of her mother, Amanda (Malin Åkerman), a former “Scream Queen.” When Max and her friends attend a tribute screening of her mother’s most famous film, Camp Bloodbath, they are mysteriously sucked into the movie itself. To survive, they must navigate 80s slasher tropes, avoid the machete-wielding Billy Murphy, and—most importantly—Max must find a way to save her mother’s character from her scripted death. It’s a rare horror film that will make you cry as much as it makes you jump. Join us as we discuss the “Final Girl” trope and generational trauma. We’ll look at how Scream 7 uses three decades of history to raise the stakes for Sidney, versus how The Final Girls uses a high-concept “movie-within-a-movie” structure to explore grief and maternal bonds. Spoilers start around 8:38.

Scream (2022) and Scream 6

This week on Friday Night Frightfest, we’re slicing into the modern “requel” era of the most self-aware franchise in horror history. With Scream 7 currently on the horizon for 2026, we’re looking back at the two films that successfully passed the torch from the Woodsboro legacy to the “Core Four.” We’re comparing the 25th-anniversary homecoming of Scream (2022) with the big-city brutality of Scream VI (2023). Scream (2022) Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (collectively known as Radio Silence), this fifth installment serves as a “requel”—a movie that functions as both a sequel and a soft reboot. Set 25 years after the original murders, a new Ghostface emerges in Woodsboro, targeting a group of teens with links to the town’s bloody past. The film introduces the Carpenter sisters, Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara (Jenna Ortega), while bringing back the “Legacy Trio” (Sidney, Gale, and Dewey) to help them survive. It masterfully skewers the trend of “elevated horror” and toxic fandom, all while delivering some of the most emotional blows in the entire series. Scream VI (2023) Leaving Woodsboro behind for the first time in the main timeline, the survivors of the 2022 massacre move to New York City to start a fresh chapter at college. However, Ghostface follows them to the Big Apple. This entry ups the ante with more aggressive, ruthless chase sequences—including a nail-biting encounter in a bodega and a terrifying subway ride on Halloween night. With a shrine dedicated to every past Ghostface and the return of Scream 4 survivor Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere), Scream VI is a fast-paced, urban slasher that challenges the rules of the franchise by proving that even the main characters are no longer safe. Before you see the new Scream 7 this weekend, join u s for this episode as we discuss which film did a better job of balancing nostalgia with new blood? And who is the ultimate modern final girl? Spoilers start around 5:45.

Whistle and Iron Lung

This week on Friday Night Frightfest, we are diving into two of the most concept-driven horror hits of early 2026! We’re comparing Corin Hardy’s supernatural teen-slasher Whistle (2026) with Mark “Markiplier” Fischbach’s record-breaking indie sci-fi horror debut, Iron Lung (2026). Whether it’s a sound that marks you for death or a submarine welded shut in an ocean of blood, there is absolutely no escape in tonight’s double feature! Whistle (2026) Directed by Corin Hardy (The Nun, The Hallow), Whistle is a stylish, high-stakes spin on the “cursed object” subgenre. A group of high school outcasts, led by Dafne Keen (Logan, The Acolyte) and Sophie Nélisse (Yellowjackets), discover an ancient Aztec Death Whistle. They soon learn the terrifying truth: anyone who hears the whistle’s piercing shriek has their future death summoned to hunt them down in the present. The film blends Final Destination-style irony with a tender, sapphic romance, as the characters face grotesque, personalized demises—like a car crash that happens inside a bedroom. Hardy utilizes his signature practical effects to bring these “future deaths” to life with visceral, contorted realism. Iron Lung (2026) Marking the massive feature directorial debut of Markiplier, Iron Lung is a a film filled with existential dread and “minimalist” horror. Based on the 2022 cult hit game, the film is set in a future where a “Quiet Rapture” has caused all stars and planets to vanish. The remnants of humanity discover an ocean of blood on a desolate moon and send a convict (Fischbach) down to explore it in a ramshackle, windowless submarine nicknamed the “Iron Lung.” Welded inside and relying only on a graining camera and a ticking proximity sensor, the protagonist must navigate the crimson depths while something massive lurks outside. It is a grueling, 127-minute descent into madness that has taken the box office by storm. One film uses a deafening scream to signal your end, while the other relies on a terrifying, blood-soaked silence. Which 2026 horror standout left you more breathless? Spoilers start around 5:10.