Hello friends and FoGgers, we want to wish you a very special Merry Christmas with a unique release this week that we hope you'll enjoy.

Several years ago, I (Reed) wrote a handful of short stories for Christmas. One of them involved a shepherd and his young boy sitting and talking on a quiet hillside one uneventful, starlit night. Because of its dialogue-heavy structure, I asked my son if he would like to record a version of it with me. What you are about to hear is that recording.

I will resist the urge to provide too many details about the story's meaning. The story should speak for itself, if it speaks at all. But I hope it sparks something for you as you hear it. Perhaps it will make you remember a far-away moment to which you'd like to return. Perhaps it will make you dwell upon a hoped-for dream on the horizon.

But most of all, I hope it urges you to pause for a moment -- right where you are, perpetually on the verge of whatever comes next -- and take it all in. All the hope, all the pain, all the mystery. Take a look around. You're in this story too... I promise.

Merry Christmas, and God Bless Us Everyone.

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It's that time of year again folks! We're keeping up with a recently minted tradition of covering a different version of Charles Dickens' immortal classic A Christmas Carol by discussing the wonderful adaptation by none other than The Muppets. THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL is not only full of all the laughter, whimsy, and heartfelt sentiment that have come to be synonymous with the Muppet gang, but it's also one of the most directly faithful adaptations of Dickens' tale ever put to film.

We share our favorite moments from the film as well was dive into why its unique interpretation of the story is particularly special. Also featuring a Patron-only section where we discuss the 1987 holiday special THE MUPPET FAMILY CHRISTMAS -- which, if you've never seen it, it's available on YouTube and extremely worth your time -- this is a warm and joyful conversation that we really hope you enjoy!

Patron Only Segment: THE MUPPET FAMILY CHRISTMAS

5:10 - THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL

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Continuing our trio of episodes this week about the films which adapt Dracula in a very specific but different kind of way. F. W. Murnau's 1922 silent film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror was remade in 1979 by now legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog into a contemplative, grim, and lush presentation he called NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE. Distinguishing itself in many ways from its predecessor while still keeping the primary story intact, Herzog's Nosferatu is saturated with a dim and often oppressively bleak outlook. It's given power by a trio of strong performances in the main roles but also has an overt despair that permeates the entire story. Despite that tone, we have a surprisingly laughter-filled conversation about it.

Also featuring a Patron-only discussion about the recent awards contender, CONCLAVE, this episode is a disarming amount of fun and we hope you enjoy it.

Patron Only Segment: CONCLAVE

4:52 - NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE

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As we prepare for the end of the year -- and for the imminent release of Robert Eggers' Nosferatu -- we're doing a mini-series run through the previous versions of this story. We start by going way back to the silent era of filmmaking with NOSFERATU: A SYMPHONY OF HORROR from 1922. In all practical measures, F. W. Murnau's film is an adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula with names and key details changed. However, a devastating lawsuit at the time all but obliterated most prints of the film from being shown again. Despite these obstacles, it has not only been a classic cherished for decades by horror fans, but one of the most influential horror films ever made. From Count Orlock's iconic look to the tone and structure of its story, it's almost impossible to ignore the impact of this film.

Also featuring a Patron-Only segment where we discuss our thoughts about the recent movie musical blockbuster WICKED, this is a brisk and fun conversation that we really hope you enjoy!

Patron Only Segment: WICKED (part one)

5:16 - NOSFERATU: A SYMPHONY OF HORROR

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Before we draw our slate of 2024 episodes to a close, we wanted to highlight a creepy, atmospheric chiller from Damien McCarthy called ODDITY. Intimate in scope but provocative in its implications, Oddity takes some familiar elements and configures them in decisively unconventional ways. It's a revenge thriller, it's a murder mystery, it's a ghost story, it's a haunted house tale, it's a witchy-golem-slasher-cannibal monster movie, and most of all it's a fascinating creeper. Anchored by strong performances and a sharp script, it subverts expectations and has a unique power to linger with you even after it has finished.

We're joined by Gorey Gamer Matt Murray for a Patron-only "Whatcha" segment and to discuss all things Oddity. We hope you enjoy!

Patron Only Segment: Whatcha Watchin' / Readin' / Listenin' To?

4:13 - ODDITY

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When we covered our series on Frankenstein-inspired horror films earlier this year, we capped it off by looking at The Curse of Frankenstein, the foray into classic horror from Hammer Studios. This week, although deferred a bit from our Dracula series, we're doing the same thing with a conversation about HORROR OF DRACULA. This was notable for being the first time the legendary Christopher Lee with bare the fangs of the iconic count, but certainly not the last (Lee would play Dracula 9 more times). We dive into what makes an older film like this so charming and brush up against the sensibilities that might even make them a bit inspiring as well.

Also featuring a Patron-only segment of FoG Your Consideration where we share our thoughts on Smile 2, Speak No Evil, and Cuckoo, this is a brisk and fun conversation that we hope you enjoy!

Patron Only Segment: FoG Your Consideration (Speak No Evil, Smile 2, Cuckoo)

9:16 - HORROR OF DRACULA

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After taking a slight detour last week, we're back to close off our Spooky Season (AHHH!) franchise run of the Alien film series with an epilogue looking back at some of our key takeaways, favorite moments, and finally solidifying the Kills Hall of Fame for Xenomorphs.

Kick back, relax, and enjoy our wrap up of all things face-huggy and chest-bursty. We hope you enjoy!

7:57 - Key Takeaways from the Alien Franchise

23:00 - Our 3 Favorite Scenes from the Franchise

36:54 - Highers and Lowers (which films rose or fell in our esteem)

42:47 - Ranking the 7 Alien Films

59:45 - The Xenomorphic Kills Hall of Fame

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Due to some scheduling adjustments and coinciding with some proximal current events, we bring to you a very different episode this week. Each week, we explore what scares us in order to find what saves us. This week, we're digging a little deeper on the last part of that motto.

Whether you are burnt out, stressed, worried, anxious, fearful, saddened, burdened, confused, lonely, or all of the above and more, we hope to offer you just a few words of encouragement and hope this week.

Reed is joined by friends of the show Andrew Nelson, Vera Goudie, and Dave Courtney for an open-hearted conversation about what we turn to when we're seeking hope or strength. From the simple practice of finding something to do with our hands to the creative meditations of a story or song, we're offering up a few things that we hope will make you feel just a little bit better and a little bit less alone.

We'll be back next week with our regularly scheduled programming, but for this week we want you to take a moment to breathe and we hope this episode helps you feel just a little bit better. Thank you for listening.

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