Ep. 085: Rabid (2019)

Horror Movie Weekly Ep. 085: Rabid 2019

It’s The Midnight Bowling of Horror Podcasts. Welcome to Horror Movie Weekly, Episode 085, where your three late-night Horror hosts — Jay of the Dead, Mister Watson and Channy Dreadful — bring you a Feature Review of Rabid (2019). We were also pleased to receive some Horror Movie Weekly fan art by Libby, pictured above! Thanks, Libby! And of course, we bring you a couple of Micro Horror Movie Reviews. Remember, you’re always welcome to call and leave us a voicemail at (801) 215-9704. Join us!

Note: This episode was recorded on April 5, 2021 and released on April 18, 2021.

This weekly Horror movie podcast brings you one recent Horror movie review every Sunday. (We’re defining “recent” as any Horror movie released within the last five years, so now that it’s 2021, we’ll be covering Horror films from 2016 to the present.) And we always reveal next week’s pick at the end of every show, so you can watch along with us and be prepared for the following episode. Join us, and thanks for listening!


SHOW NOTES:

Introduction
— Welcome to Horror Movie Weekly Episode 085
– Will there be a Horror Movie Weekly band?
– A Horror Movie Weekly rap song?
– Thanks to listener Libby for some HMW fan art!

MICRO HORROR MOVIE REVIEWS
Mister Watson: ReGOREgitated Sacrifice (2008) = 1.5 ( Avoid )
Jay of the Dead: Walled In (2009) = 5.5 ( Rental )

– Jay of the Dead’s pick for this week: Rabid (2019)

[ 00:19:09 ] – Feature Review: Rabid (2019)

Genre Classification: Horror / Body Horror / Mystery / Infected “vampiric-zombie”-esque / and a tiny glimpse of some Pig-Headed Horror

Premise:
When an aspiring fashion designer gets in a terribly disfiguring accident, she willingly undergoes experimental stem cell therapy to repair her face, but it has terrifying side effects.

Ratings and Recommendations: Rabid (2019)
Channy Dreadful = 8 ( Must Buy it! )
Mister Watson = 6 ( Low-priority Rental )
Jay of the Dead = 6 ( Rental )

Next on Episode 086: Run (2020) — Channy Dreadful’s pick

Original podcast theme music: Jay of the Dead


Links for this episode:

Hear Channy’s guest appearance on Horror Movie Podcast!

Links for Channy Dreadful:
Check out Channy’s TikTok
Channy on Facebook
Twitter: @ChannyDreadful
Jay recommends Channy’s Article on Cujo
Channy on Hereditary with Ron Martin on The Resurrection of Zombie 7 Podcast
Channy Dreadful Archives on The Resurrection of Zombie 7
Instagram: Strawberry Crush Creations

Links for Mister Watson:
Twitter: @WatZeeParty
Podcast: The Wat-Zee Party Horror Show
Facebook: The Wat-Zee Party Horror Show/Horror Corridor

Jay of the Dead’s other podcasts: ConsideringTheCinema.com
Jay’s HORROR-only content: ConsideringHorrorCinema.com
Jay’s monthly show (all genres): Movie Podcast Weekly.com

— BillChete and Lady Phantom’s other podcast:
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Website: Horror Movie Weekly.com

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11 thoughts on “Ep. 085: Rabid (2019)”

  1. Uh Oh! Sounds like we have a Troika of Treble on our hands!

    Also, really glad Mister Watson reviewed ReGOREgitated Sacrifice! I recently became aware of the “Disturbing Movie Iceberg” which ranks disturbing films by tier (I.E. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is tier 2, Martyrs tier 3, etc.) and ReGOREgitated sacrifice is tier 4. Sounds extreme until you find out there are 8 tiers!

    Anyway, great episode guys. Keep it up.

    1. Inbred Coop,

      I will be checking out this Disturbing Movie Iceberg! Eight tiers, you say? And Martyrs is only on tier 3? WHAT????? LOL!

      Yeah, ReGOREgitated Sacrifice is certainly a doozy! I wonder how Lucifer Valentine got the Soskas to make out on camera like they did all those times in that movie. This might be oversharing, but I used to date a girl who had a twin sister, and she said they did stuff like that sometimes at parties or just randomly, and apparently it was like “kissing yourself.” I imagine that if I were more debaucherous, I would have gained the hell out of that system, but I wasn’t very keen on the whole thing, and I think she had quite the effed up childhood… and that’s all I’ll say about that.

      In any case… I’ll be checking this Iceberg out! Lemme guess… Tier 8 is snuff?

  2. Hey Guys – Thanks for the discussion on ‘Rabid’ last week! I enjoyed the 2019 version from the Soska Sisters. I think the best reason to remake a movie is to communicate the story in a new voice. The Soska Sisters added things of interest to women that the simplistic (yet effective) 1977 Cronenberg movie lacks. I like that. I’m excited to see what the Soskas direct next.

    I saw ‘Savageland’ this week. I had never heard of it until listening to last week’s episode. I enjoy found footage movies. I’m a big fan of ‘Lake Mungo,’ ‘[REC],’ and a couple of others.

    ‘Savageland’ maintains a good, creepy mood, though I think it has a few problems. The main one is it’s unnecessarily long for the story it tells. Unfortunately, the movie leans into this problem by hitting its “horror climax” when the first evil-looking face is revealed in one of the photos, about twenty minutes in.

    I thought this was an interesting idea. Perhaps it was an idea in search of a different medium. It would have been cooler, I think, as a stage play/courtroom trial of Carlos Olivares, where the audience listens to increasingly weird testimony and is shown the photos as “exhibits” in the case, climaxing in the sentencing. It also could have worked as a TV episode of something like ‘The X-Files’ where the investigator/main characters are on location, yet have to deal with societal tension regarding immigration on top of trying to solve the mysterious disappearances.

    The filmmakers totally missed the boat with what happens to Carlos Olivares after the sentencing. I realize this is an ultra-low-budget production, yet how hard would it have been to have ONE of the long-winded commentators at least present a “crazy supernatural theory” that would have clicked with the ending, so at least the audience can put together what happened, even if the characters remain clueless.

    Haha also… camera? Are we supposed to believe Carlos was snapping photos instead of using a cel phone to film what was going on… AND MAYBE CALL FOR HELP? They should have had an interviewed character give a logical thought on why Carlos refused to put down the camera–or, at the very least, point out it was odd he never bothered to pick up a phone from one of the many bodies–so I didn’t feel like I was losing my mind asking myself “why?”

    I like horror (naturally!), and it’s easy for me to go into “auto-pilot” (I have ADHD-I), and accept whatever is happening on screen for the sake of getting to the thrills/scares, yet the added commentary towards the end where a couple of the more ignorant characters maintain the idea of Carlos’s guilt basically because of his status as an illegal immigrant was, frankly, offensive. What was offensive about it was not that those characters could think that; it was offering that scene in the conclusion part of the “found footage.” It felt like the filmmakers were offering it to me as a possible explanation. More skillful (socially aware?) filmmakers would have simply put this comment earlier in the film, when the audience knows next-to-nothing about what happened in the town.

    Still-the movie has its moments. Inspired touches like “Grace is gone,” and the mother who lives in another town tragically saying she was hoping to make up for lost time to her daughter were horror-movie gold. They should have kept those, and thrown out half of everything else.

    BTW, I have to hand it to Jay of the Dead for the opening music on this podcast. It’s great. Whenever I hear it, it fires me up for the the show.

    Anyways, thanks so much for making this show weekly(!) I have a podcast of my own now, and I sincerely appreciate the work all three of you put into it.

    Looking forward to next week’s episode!

    Best,
    VV

    1. Victor,

      I’ve gotta tell ya… I LOVE reading your comments, sir! You are so insightful and knowledgeable.

      I’m with you, man. I think Cronenberg’s ’77 OG Rabid is effective as hell, but it’s simple as hell, too. Not much to it. The Soskas did their retelling well, and I was glad we got to review this.

      As for Savageland…

      I know Channy hated it, but I think it’s a little gem. To be more precise, I would say it’s a good first draft. You are exactly right when you say the movie climaxes rather early, and man… if the plot had actually escalated from that initial point when we realize that there is a supernatural angle in the mix here and things went even FURTHER… we could have a modern found footage/faux doc classic on our hands here. All the pieces are there with regards to the plot. The concept is sound! It just didn’t go where it needed to go in order to be truly great.

      Regarding the idea that some of these authorities couldn’t stop clinging to the idea that our lead’s status as an illegal immigrant (was he illegal?) was to blame for the movie’s events… I wonder if we’re meant to bear witness to the outright blindness of the media. We see it every day, this refusal to deviate from an Almighty Narrative in order to present the news in an open and humble manner.

      Victor, you are the best, and remind me, please… what is the name of your podcast again? I feel like I’ve seen you post about it on Facebook, but the name isn’t coming to mind! Thanks, man.

  3. Hey HMW,
    Thank you so much for the shoutout, and nice feedback, about my little art project. You’re the best!! I look forward to your show, and love the dynamic of respect, and how supportive you all are of each other, even in disagreement. Also, I really hope you do put that musical collab together!
    I am in for supporting the work of female directors, and was glad to learn about the Soska Sisters. Thanks for the review.
    I thought I would mention a few other awesome women who are really killing it in the modern horror director field: Karyn Kusama (“The Invitation”, “Jennifer’s Body”), Jennifer Kent (“The Nightingale”, “The Babadook”), Coralie Fargeat (“Revenge”), Julia Ducournau (“RAW”), Ana Lily Amirpour (“A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night”). I’m sure there are plenty I missed!

    1. Libby,

      I loved your artwork! I wish I had the imagination for graphic design! But I don’t! Do you have a graphic design background?

      Also, this list of lady directors is boss! Julia Ducournau is my favorite in the bunch. I recorded a review of Raw (2017) that never saw the light of day, and in my research, I watched SO MANY interviews with her, and she is so COOL! I think she might rub some people the wrong way… especially when she laughed at the idea that people thought Raw was a feminist, anti-meat movie! LOL!

      Libby, thanks so much for listening. You are the best!

  4. I was just going about my day listening to another great episode of HMW and then am left gutted after Jay claims he doesn’t like the original Rabid and then Mister Watson backed him up on that. I expected it from Jay, but say it ain’t so Mister Watson. Rabid ranks third for me out of the Cronenberg horror films. I love it.

    On a brighter note I’m excited for Run next week. I think its a great film and heard almost no one discuss it last year.

    1. Trey,

      Wait! I dunno what I was drinking that night, but I just reviewed Rabid (1977) on an episode of The 22 Shots of Moodz and Horror Podcast, and I quite enjoyed it. Maybe I said it wasn’t my FAVORITE Cronenberg, but I promise… I think it’s terrific! I really do. LOL!

      1. Haha you know now that I think back it was probably Jay saying he didn’t like it and you saying something along the lines of yeah it’s not my favorite Cronenberg. My brain decided to take that as Mister Watson doesn’t like Rabid. How dare he! Either way I’m glad to hear you do like the film.

  5. Thanks for covering the Soska Sisters’ 2019 version of ‘Rabid.’ I liked it quite a bit, and I can’t wait to see what the Soskas do next!

    Saw ‘Savageland’ this week. It had moments of horror gold, like “Grace is gone,” and the young mother who lived in a nearby town and was tragically planning to make up for lost time with her daughter. It’s a cool idea, though I think it would have been much better served in another medium, like a “found footage” still photo gallery presentation… or stage play with Carlos on trial (climaxing in the sentencing), the interviewees as witnesses, and the creepy photos as “exhibits.” The movie unfortunately hits its horror climax twenty minutes in, when they reveal the first creepy photo.

    Anyways, thanks for this consistently great podcast! Love the intro music–really gets me in the mood for the show.

    Best,
    VV

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