Franchise Fiends

Today we're joined by Max, the secret third member of the Franchise Fiends family. Max does all of our artwork so getting him on the pod is arguably cooler than Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson showing up in a Saw movie. Also... holy shit, Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson showed up in a Saw movie? Let's talk about that.

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Have you ever wished the Saw franchise felt a bit more like a CSI episode? Great news! Today we're joined by Rachel to talk about how Saw took advantage of the seven year hiatus between films to inject itself with some serious direct-to-video/TV movie vibes.

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Saw 3D didn't look very good in 3D which is why it was released as Saw: The Final Chapter on home video. It didn't end up being the final chapter, either, but Todd still thinks it was neat and Brogan appreciates Cary Elwes getting a few more seconds of screentime even if he doesn't think much of anything else worked.

Also, when was the last time you thanked a podcast editor? Thanks to some ongoing technical issues and a few bits that were better off being thrown back into the ether this one ended up more than...

In which Brogan admits that Todd was right (in regards to Saw VI being great and nothing else). Anchor and Brian stop by Franchise Fiends to talk about the major upgrade the franchise received after the underwhelming Saw V.

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Maybe the real Saw V was the much better movies we watched along the way? Todd and Brogan are joined by Mel and Liz to talk about the first major drop in quality for the Saw franchise, much of which involves reflecting on the better films that came before it. "Well at least there's less arguing about John Kramer's political affiliation." Thanks for noticing! It's because we got most of the debate out of the way before recording started.

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Does Saw IV make any sense? If you're Parker, who has only seen the original short, the answer is (accurately) no. He and Reid join Todd and Brogan to break down the most MCU-esque entry in the Saw franchise and try and figure out just how much of this film only works because it's referencing the three films that came before it. 

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New faces reignite old tensions for our leads and also a bunch of stuff happens in Saw III. Don't let the debate fool you! Brogan liked this one more then Todd did.

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Does John Kramer really have a moral code or is he just a Republican? Todd and Brogan are joined by Sheldon and Amanda to discuss the details of what will inevitably turn into a season-long debate while also breaking down the change in direction for the Saw franchise and wondering how they managed to pull this large of an ensemble off on so small a budget.

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It's a season premiere/partner episode double event! Todd and Brogan get Michelle and Jessica join them to talk about the groundbreaking debut entry in the Saw franchise even though it's not a horror subgenre they're generally interested in. Love is showing up on your partner's podcast.

New Saw episodes are dropping every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until Halloween!

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What better way to celebrate America this Independence Day than by talking about a movie where everything is on fire? That's right! We're talking about Tony Maylam's 1981 cult classic The Burning, which started the careers of Hollywood legends Jason Alexander and Holly Hunter and also unapologetic psychopath Harvey Weinstein.

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He is risen! We're of course referring to Father Damien Karras (played by Jason Miller), who was controversially resurrected in William Peter Blatty's criminally underrated 1990 sequel The Exorcist III. Todd and Brogan are joined by Steve and Kevin (Todd's father- and brother-in-law, respectively) for a deep dive into the slasheriest entry in the Exorcist franchise.

Season two (Saw) premieres this October, but we'll be celebrating plenty of holidays with you in the meantime.

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It's Valentine's Day! So we're getting together to celebrate something we all love: fictional murder. Lindsay and director Christopher Bickel (Pater Noster and the Mission of Light) join us to talk about the 1981 Canucksploitation classic My Bloody Valentine.

Season two (Saw) premieres this October, but we'll be celebrating plenty of holidays with you in the meantime.

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Buy/Rent Pater Noster and the Mission of Light on Amazon HERE.

This holiday we're visiting one of the greatest Christmas gifts of all: a slasher film starring Mickey Rooney. Oso and Max join Todd and Brogan to talk about why this film is great even if most of it isn't very good.

Thanks for joining us on the first year of this journey! See you soon.

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Todd and Brogan conclude the first season with a general discussion of the Child's Play franchise including a series ranking and lists of our favorite kills.

We'll be back in October 2025 with Saw but there will be plenty of seasonal specials in the meantime! We'll see you at Christmas.

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The actual end of an era! Today we're discussing the 2019 reboot that is (currently) the final film in the Child's Play franchise.

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The end of an era! But not the end of our era because we watch reboots. Today we're joined by some very special European guest to talk about the final film entry in the mainline Child's Play series.

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What's Chucky's skincare routine? How many actors and actresses can Todd compare the Curse of Chucky cast to? And, most importantly, is it possible for guys who host film podcasts to end up in serious relationships? Find out on another episode of Franchise Fiends.

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Was that really Britney Spears? What is there so much semen in this one? How is Don Mancini's name even pronounced? All these questions and more are answered in yet another excited episode of Franchise Fiends!

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After the disappointing third entry that we still haven't forgiven, Todd and Brogan join Lindsay to discuss the significantly better fourth entry that ditched the Child's Play name and took the franchise in a campier direction

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It was the CEO! The night after we recorded this Brogan woke up in a cold sweat with the realization that Chucky first revealed himself to the CEO (not Tyler) and now the movie makes even less sense than it did before. Anyway, this movie is garbage.

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Two guys named Matt join Todd and Brogan to break down the second entry in the Child's Play franchise, which is often considered the best and almost always thought of as the one with the coolest poster.

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It's here! It's here! The official first season is here! Todd and Brogan break down the Chucky franchise every Tuesday and Thursday until Halloween, starting with the original 1988 Tom Holland (not that one) classic Child's Play.

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Franchise Fiends is a podcast where Todd and Brogan do deep dives into some of the most iconic horror franchises. Season one (Child's Play) premieres this October. In the meantime, help us celebrate America with Robert Hiltzik's questionably queer slasher classic Sleepaway Camp.

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Franchise Fiends is a podcast where Todd and Brogan do deep dives into some of the most iconic horror franchises. Season one (Child's Play) premieres this October. In the meantime, join special guests Matthew and Brian for a very special St. Patrick's Day discussion of the 2000 direct-to-video slasher hit Leprechaun in the Hood.

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