This week on The Rotten Horror Picture Show Podcast, Clay and Amanda are creeping back to one of the most influential horror hits of the 21st century: Paranormal Activity (2009). The low-budget found-footage phenomenon changed the genre overnight, proving you didn’t need monsters, gore, or even much movement to terrify audiences—just a quiet house, a static camera, and the creeping feeling that something is very wrong at 3:00 a.m. Clay and Amanda break down why the film worked so well, how it built tension through silence and suggestion, and how it launched an entire franchise of late-night door-slamming terror.

Now, I should clarify something: due to my sensitive bladder, I have never actually seen a Paranormal Activity movie. Not because I’m afraid it’ll scare me into peeing my pants—please, I have dignity—but because being scared makes me thirsty. And when I get scared, I drink soda. Lots of soda. And when I drink soda, my bladder—delicate little thing that it is—starts filing formal complaints. Before you know it, I’m up and down every ten minutes, shuffling to the bathroom, missing all the good parts, and trying to remember if the demon showed up or if that was just the ice maker.

Found-footage movies are especially brutal for this. You leave the room for thirty seconds and suddenly everyone’s screaming, furniture’s flying, and you’ve missed the entire escalation. Clay and Amanda can sit there, calm as can be, analyzing subtle footsteps and shadowy door movements, while I’m stuck choosing between dehydration and narrative coherence.

So while they dig into the slow-burn brilliance of Paranormal Activity, I’ll be listening safely from a place of understanding. No jump scares, no soda, no bathroom trips. Because true horror isn’t demons—it’s realizing you’ve missed the scariest scene while washing your hands.

And don't forget to head over to patreon.com/thepenskyfile to join Clay and Amanda as they take a deep dive into horror sequels!

This week on The Rotten Horror Picture Show Podcast, Clay and Amanda are taking a trip into the strange, dreamlike world of Dario Argento’s 1985 cult oddity Phenomena. It’s one of Argento’s most notorious films from his wildly experimental ’80s era — full of surreal imagery, pulsing Goblin music, murder mysteries, and a young Jennifer Connelly wandering through the Swiss countryside. Clay and Amanda break down the film’s off-the-wall tone, its place in Argento’s career, and why Phenomena stands out even among the director’s already very weird filmography. It’s stylish, confusing, beautiful, and deeply unsettling in ways that only Argento could manage.

Now, I should probably admit something up front: I haven’t actually seen Phenomena. But I’m still excited! Why? Because I’ve been assured — by absolutely no one — that there are probably no bugs in it. And that’s important to me. Bugs and I do not get along. Spiders? No. Beetles? Absolutely not. Anything with too many legs or a weird crunch? I’m out. Horror movies already ask a lot of me emotionally — I don’t need ants crawling into my soul on top of it.

So I’m going into this episode feeling optimistic. An Argento movie without bugs sounds great! Just some light murder, some eerie atmosphere, maybe a monkey with a razor (that’s fine), but definitely no swarming insects, crawling larvae, or close-ups of mandibles clicking together. Clay and Amanda seem excited, which reassures me. They wouldn’t do that to me, right? They know my boundaries. Surely.

Anyway, if you’re a fan of Italian horror, surreal storytelling, or films that operate entirely on nightmare logic, this episode is for you. I’ll be listening too — cautiously, fingers crossed, telling myself everything is fine. And if at any point they mention insects, flies, maggots, or entomology in general? I will be screaming, throwing my headphones, and pretending this episode never happened. But until then, I’m happy. Ignorance is bliss.

And do forget to head over to patreon.com/thepenskyfile to follow along this year as Clay and Amanda do a deep dive on sequels!

This week on The Rotten Horror Picture Show Podcast, Clay and Amanda tackle one of the more controversial entries in modern holiday horror: the 2019 remake of Black Christmas. It’s a film that takes the bones of the 1974 slasher classic and retools them for a new generation, leaning hard into social commentary, glossy production, and a very different kind of menace lurking on a snow-covered college campus. Clay and Amanda break down what works, what doesn’t, how it compares to the original, and why this remake sparked so much debate among horror fans. It’s festive, furious, and definitely not your grandmother’s Christmas movie.

Speaking of festive… I’ve made a terrible mistake. A catastrophic, buttery, powdered-sugar-dusted mistake. I have eaten too many Christmas cookies. Snickerdoodles, sugar cookies, those weird ones shaped like wreaths that somehow taste like almond extract and regret. At first, it was fine. Cozy, even. I told myself, “It’s the holidays! Calories don’t count.” But now? Now Christmas dinner is looming, and I’m sitting here staring at a plate of gingerbread men like they personally betrayed me. What if I can’t eat the ham? What if the mashed potatoes mean nothing to me anymore? This is the real horror.

So I’m listening to Clay and Amanda talk about Black Christmas while clutching my stomach and questioning every decision I’ve made since December 1st. They’re discussing masked killers, secret societies, and whether the film earns its place in the franchise — and I’m wondering if I’ve ruined gravy for myself forever. Still, their conversation is sharp, thoughtful, and way more satisfying than my fourth cookie was.

Join Clay and Amanda for this holiday horror deep dive. And take it from me: pace yourself. There’s always another cookie… but Christmas dinner only comes once a year.

And don't forget to head over to patreon.com/thepenskyfile to follow Clay and Amanda as they wrap up their coverage of remakes and reboots, and join them in the new year for sequels!