Ep. 046: The Furies (2019)

22 thoughts on “Ep. 046: The Furies (2019)”

1. Fantastic movie; I hope all our listeners will watch it!

2. I’ll give it a try. Ty for the show as always!

   1. Great! And thank YOU for listening!

3. Guys, I think everyone knows Fay Wray is the number one scream queen in movie history; Ms Marilyn Burns has all of my respect, though.

   Fay Wray also starred in an early version of this story, ‘The Most Dangerous Game’ (1932), the first filmed version of this story, I think.

   Those little noisy devices they used for keeping people inside, they reminded me of Monster Island and the different ‘fences’ that were used to keep the various kaiju in their areas.

   1. Nick, I don’t think I’ve seen that Kong version… I know I saw a King Kong movie in the theater when I was about 3 or 4, and both my nephew and I were bawling our eyes out because “poor monkey, why are they attacking him.” I just don’t know which one it was.
      Really interesting comments; now you’ve made me curious about those movies.

   2. Hi Kaiju Nick,
      Thanks for the comment. I agree that Fay Wray has an incredible set of lungs — not to mention her stamina — but her screaming in “King Kong” (1933) is so seemingly incessant, that it actually takes away from the film for me. I actually watch that film less due to how much she screams. True story: And if I do watch it, then I watch it on mute. ha ha While Fay Wray is a great screamer and she definitely precedes Marilyn Burns by about 40 years in film history, I still personally feel that Marilyn’s performance is the epitome of fear. (Remember Shelley Duvall’s terrified face in “The Shining,” when Jack is chopping through the door?) Marilyn has at least one comparable moment in TCSM.

      Still, having said that, I give you much props for remaining loyal to a classic Scream Queen from the early days of cinema history. I respect any man who cites “King Kong” (1933). Thanks for writing!
      -J

      1. Jay, you’re admitting now that Fay Wray is such an awesome scream queen that you have to mute her when you watch ‘King Kong’ (1933) because her screams are too terrifying for Jay of the Dead to hear, and you can’t watch classic ‘King Kong’ much now because of Fay Wray’s horrifying screams? (Just kidding, Jay, comments in good faith.)

         These arguements are like the Superman vs Hulk arguements, really dumb, fun, and pointless hypothetical arguements, and genre fans debate them with passion!

         Jay of the Dead, I’m wondering, ‘Godzilla vs Kong’ is hopefully coming in 2021, delayed from 2020. What do you think, guys (Jay, Bill, & Phantom)? This is our next big heavywieght fight.

4. I really like this movie and enjoyed you guys talking about it but I gotta say I’ve lost some respect for you guys in this episode. When Bill said the lead girl should have been hotter and then went on to call her ugly I found that rude and quite ignorant. I was also disappointed that Jay and Lady Phantom didn’t call him out on it. Jay just did a sort of embarrassed laugh and a half assed rebuttal while Lady Phantom just gave what amounts to a verbal eyeroll. It’s far from a valid critic of the film and it’s just unnecessary. It sounds like something from the Weinstein book of film making. What you say about final girls isn’t even accurate, most of the time the final girl is made to look more plain than her friends or other girls in the group. I think Airlie Dodds is attractive and her performance in the film is great which really is all that should matter. I’m a 40 year old guy who grew up on cheap 80s T&A horror so I’m probably not as woke as some of your other listeners, but even I find this kind of talk tiresome. I’ll still listen to the show but I just wanted to share my feelings on the matter because it’s not the first time something like this has been said.

   1. Hello GreenZombiDog,
      Jay of the Dead here. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us. I appreciate your candor, and I respect your feelings because I think *most* of your critique of us is fair. Let me explain why I say that, if you’ll permit me a moment to type out my thoughts.

      Film critics cannot truly be objective, nor should they be. Film critics give opinions that are subjective, meaning, their response is a result of each critic’s personal experience and biases. (The same goes for commenters who offer their subjective feedback about our podcast. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.)

      When BillChete expressed his comments about the lead actress, I think it’s audibly evident that Phantom and I disagreed with him. (In fact, I remember expressing the opposite opinion — or, at least, attempting to.) One could certainly argue, as you have, that an actor’s attractiveness is moot and not a relevant critique for determining a film’s overall value and quality. I would actually agree with that.

      However, what I admire about BillChete as a critic is that he will tell you *exactly* what he thinks of a film, no matter what, no holding back! Do I personally think it’s rude to call an actress ugly? Yes — but he is entitled to his subjective opinion and honest response to the film. In fact, get this: When I first met BillChete face to face in Las Vegas back in March, do you know what he did within seconds of first meeting me? He patted my pot belly, as if to say, “Got a belly there, don’t ya?” ha ha ha ha — because admittedly, I’ve packed on some extra pounds. ha ha ha But that’s what I love about the guy. He’s a straight-shooter. You always know exactly what he thinks (because he tells you), and I feel that’s an extremely valuable quality for a film critic. BillChete will never be a studio shill…

      But you seem to be a straight-shooter, too, GreenZombiDog, and I respect that you express your honest thoughts, as well. So far, so good.

      But where I disagree with you is your assertion that we’ve engaged in some Harvey Weinstein-esque behavior. Whatever our film review of “The Furies” may have lacked, I am confident that it did not attain the egregious depths of sexual assault or rape. So, I don’t feel that portion of your critique was fair or accurate.

      Even so — isn’t it interesting and enriching to engage in a healthy, open discourse in this marketplace of ideas? We were all free to speak our hearts and minds, even though both sides offered some degree of offense. Plus, controversy “makes good radio,” as they say — as well as a rousing comments section. Besides, I enjoy the privilege of exercising that Constitutional, First Amendment right, so thank you for taking us to task with your critique of our film criticism. ; )

      I’m grateful that you concluded that you will continue to listen to Horror Movie Weekly. I hope so. You alluded to this in your comment, but Horror is an especially interesting genre to discuss in an era of hyper-sensitivity and political correctness. Indeed, the very genre itself is built upon taboos, repulsion, disgust and offense. People (especially women) are commonly objectified, and in fact, human beings of all races, genders, sexualities, etc., are treated inhumanely and dispatched violently and without mercy. To use your phrasing, the Horror genre is often “quite ignorant,” indeed, and yet, we still love it.

      Thanks for writing!
      -J

   2. Thanks for your comments.
      I think it was fairly obvious that I thought that “ugly” comment was, let’s say, incorrect. I don’t know what else I could do during a podcast episode. If you are expecting a #metoo diatribe, I don’t think that’s gonna happen… the point of this podcast is, we express what we think. What we think may not always be nice or likable, but it’s what we think. And most importantly, we’re discussing movies here. Horror movies, at that.
      Of course, you are also entitled to your opinion, and we value it. We welcome all thoughts, comments, and opinions.

   3. Dude, Green-whatthef*ck,
      This is a casual, laid back, horror movie review podcast. I think these hosts have no real interest in bringing any of their politics into their reviews. I think these are some decent-hearted folks in their 40s that love the horror movie genre and love talking about horror movies that they want to review.

      Your objections are not very convincing, and to this episode, your objections sound pretty whiny.

5. Thanks for the comments and watching The Furies…and by the way…did you see that Jay of the Dead updated his Top 10 list last year to include this film? It was my prediction, and he did, even though he doesn’t like to amend his lists later on. That goes to show how awesome this horror-slasher is! 3 seriously different critics and this is the only movie of 2019 that made it on all of our “Best Of” lists, so please give it a chance all others, it is SO worth it!

   1. It’s true! BillChete was right. I did update my list. Anyone who loves Slashers should watch this film. I still say it’s the “Oops! All Berries” Cap’n Crunch equivalent of Slasher movies, though.
      -J

6. Amendment: OOPS so did Haunt which is cool! So The Furies and Haunt are the only 2 horror movies of last year that made ALL lists! Watch them and buy them both!

7. Excellent movie choice. I also want to comment: Some of us have already seen the movies you review, so i was looking forward to some spoiler discussions. Maybe set aside time at the tail end as a precaution to those that haven’t seen it (like you sometimes do)? I would have found it so interesting to hear a deeper analysis. Just a suggestion. And also, don’t fret about the length of the show. Sometimes it feels cut too short just as the conversation is getting good. I’m not talking Joe Rogan size, but a few more minutes will never hurt.

   Also:
   Jay, i was a dedicated listener of HMP. While it remains a worthwhile listen, you were its soul. I’m glad I can still hear you talk horror.
   Bill, this podcast is the first time i’ve ever listened to you; and man, i’ve been missing out! Much respect to you and your convictions when it comes to true horror. I may not always agree, but that’s part of the fun.
   Lady Phantom, you might be my fav of the trio. I really enjoy listening to your take on these movies as i can truly relate since we come from similar backgrounds. Y cuando te canses de Bill, llamame por favor…..pero no le digas!

   Thanks for providing the type of entertainment and insight that far too uncommon.
   -Miguel

   1. Thanks, M (Miguel)!
      I appreciate the feedback. Yeah, I like getting into spoiler discussions when there’s no other way to talk about the film — or when there’s an ending we must discuss. I’m glad to hear that you enjoy that. We will remember what you said in the future if we feel like we need to go more in-depth in our conversation.

      And thanks so much what you said about my time with Horror Movie Podcast. That means a lot to me. I’m glad there were listeners who appreciated my contributions. Thanks for letting me know. Those guys continue to make me proud over there at HMP. They continue to do great work, and I’m grateful that Gillman Joel was willing to step up as host and share his talents. He’s a Horror fan “lifer” — one of those kids who collected Fango back in the day and taped Horror posters on his bedroom walls! ha ha Thanks again for your comment and for listening to the show.
      -J

   2. Miguel! Scandalous!

      1) THANK YOU. See? The people want spoilers. We should give the people what they want.

      2) Dude, I edit the podcast. Therefore, I do fret about the length of the movie. Hehehe!

      3) You should go to BillChete.com and check out Bill’s previous podcasts. His opinions have always been insightful and evolving.

      4) Thank you, you’re too kind.

8. I had to watch The Furies after all 3 of you actually agreed on this one. I have seen this one one Shudder and, to be honest, was also a bit turned off from the cover. I loved it. I thought it was a wild ride and the gore was pretty amazing. I re-evaluated my 2019 top ten list and put this at #7. Thanks for the non-spoiler review/recommendation.

   This is my first comment on here. I am a weekly listener, a longtime HMP listener who was missing the soothing sounds of Jay of the Dead’s voice. Love the dynamic of you guys. Thanks for the pod.

   1. Anthony R, the Beijing Beast! — Great to hear from you again!

      Thanks so much for giving our new Horror podcast a listen. I’m grateful that you’re listening to the show. You’re right — the three of us rarely agree, so when we all three recommend a Horror flick, given our disparate tastes, then it’s definitely worth checking out! And yeah, that first ax-face-push kill is worth the price of admission. No doubt, one of the all-time greatest kills in Horror cinema history! Thanks again for leaving a comment and saying hello!

      We’re glad you’re here!
      -J

      1. The ax-face-push! I don’t believe that has been done… and not to mention its a top notch addition into the pig faced horror sub genre. Ha, I remember you mentioning it in the review but I had a good chuckle when that character popped up

         Glad to be here!

         1. Damn right! ha ha #PigHeadedHorror 4-Eva!
            Yeah, I’ve never seen an ax-face-push, either, but like a pro wrestler’s “finisher” move, I hope it becomes a thing for Slashers now.
            -J

   2. Thank you!

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