Certified Forgotten

In this week's newsletter, @donatobomb.bsky.social and @monagle.bsky.social celebrate six years of Certified Forgotten.

Watched and absolutely loved this movie yesterday, so it was nice to get a little extra with a CF discussion on it. I'd recommend watching it yourself (those [redacted] moments go hard) and then give them a listen.

Spoiler alert: The Matts can't agree on much, but the one big exception to that rule is the films of Jordan Downey.

We have a new podcast episode, and we're biting into Jordan Downey's THE CYCLE. Listen in to hear us discuss [redacted], analyze [redacted], and praise how Downey handles [redacted]. Sorry about the vagueness, but we don't want to spoil what surprises await if you haven't seen it yet!

"Come for the moody, atmospheric procedural thriller, stay for the year’s best creature feature." We're big fans of Jordan Downey 'round these parts, so we're happy to report that THE CYCLE is the real deal.

Vamps is such an infectiously good time! I've made so many people watch it 😂 I also unironically think that the scene where Justin Kirk's Vadim turns a human into a vampire as a favor to Goody might be... THE best comedic vampire transformation scene? (I love Justin Kirk in this movie)

I'm back at @certifiedforgotten.com to praise Amy Heckerling's delightfully goofy vampire comedy 'Vamps.'

"Heckerling never lets things get too scary or serious, ending the movie on a bittersweet note that centers the power of friendship and the possibility of new life." It may not be your typical vampire movie, but that's exactly what makes VAMPS such a breath of fresh air.

"It’s a gross movie, to be sure — that it’s a wide studio release feels miraculous, as though Duffield has brought midnight madness into the daylight of a strip mall multiplex." Movies like WHALEFALL aren't supposed to exist, but we're so glad it does.

If you're in Brooklyn tomorrow, come hang out with us and Mr. Dougherty!

Join us this Saturday for a conversation with horror filmmaker Michael Dougherty at @brooklynhorror.bsky.social.

Listening to this episode and I’m reminded of how we almost had George A. Romero’s Resident Evil in the ‘90s and I’m sad we never got to see it. youtu.be/PcDjo_uKeF4?...

Since Hellraiser is trending once more thanks to the new game, let me plug this piece I wrote on one of the true queens of Horror cinema: Julia Cotton. certifiedforgotten.com/hellbound-he...

Director, screenwriter, and podcaster @michaelvarrati.bsky.social talks Jersey Shore Massacre and Four Seasons of Fear with Certified Forgotten! Have a listen, then pop over to @kickstarter.com and back this incredible anthology today!

RESIDENT EVIL has lore to spare, but Zach Cregger's adaptation reminds us that we spend most survival horror games not having enough health packs, bullets, or time.

"Cregger choosing to recreate the video game experience through a singular lens – his own – is certainly a more focused approach to the material." RESIDENT EVIL is a good movie, but does its approach to video games keep it from being great? Let's discuss.

Certified Forgotten is headed back to Brooklyn, baby.

I'm thrilled to be back at @certifiedforgotten.com to spread the word about the lovely sci-fi romance 'Same Boat,' which is like 'Before Sunrise' if Jesse was a time-traveling assassin sent to kill Celine.

"Roberti and his collaborators are so ingenious that SAME BOAT rarely looks like a surreptitious guerrilla production, instead making full, apparently unrestricted use of its luxurious location." Great to have @signalbleed.bsky.social back at the site with some indie sci-fi love.

Taking the opportunity to once again share my @certifiedforgotten.com piece on the film (has spoilers) certifiedforgotten.com/the-horrors-...

"THE WAILING artfully embodies the anguish of a generation torn between countless paths, each seemingly incapable of guiding them toward their desired sense of self." Na Hong-Jin is back in theaters this week, so why not look back at an old favorite?

"What SOUND OF MY VOICE attempts is fascinating, essentially indoctrinating the viewer alongside Peter and Lorna." New at the site: Christine Makepeace examines the spell that Brit Marling casts on audiences in this 2011 indie film.

"In the heart-wrenching chaos that unfolds, the haunting loss of self and family becomes an ever-present dread for the 'in-between' generation." Every day is a good day to consider rewatching THE WAILING.

"What WHITE: MELODY OF DEATH lacks in scares, it makes up for in insight." Here's a look back at Kim Gok and Kim Sun's horror-fueled tale of K-pop gone wrong.

In our most recent podcast episode, The Matts discuss why THE END OF OAK STREET is such an earnest exercise in divorce and dinosaurs.

"Accept the pre-release narrative that SOULM8TE is a mess – a would-be spinoff of the M3GAN franchise that tries to blend campy horror with science fiction – and odds are you’ll find what you’re looking for." Good movie is good, don't know what to tell you.

ICYMI: In this week's episode of the podcast, we're joined by podcaster and physical media expert Noel Bartocci to discuss DEAD HEAT and the glorious cheese that is zombie cops.

"While the fridge does its best to keep Steve at work, it does everything it can to keep Eileen at home." Like all horror worth celebrating, Nicholas Jacobs's THE REFRIGERATOR is a sly mixture of camp and satire.

"NAMASLAY has every intention in the world of blending SUSPIRA with South Asian folklore onscreen, but what works as a dark comedy never makes the leap to action-horror." NAMASLAY has a fun name and some great ideas, but falls just short of making it work.

We're doing something different with this week's episode: we recorded the podcast in two chunks, so you can hear our thoughts both before and after watching SOULM8TE.

Bear with us: we're tinkering with a new (old) format for the podcast this weekend.

"Emily St. John Mandel had it right: to the monsters, we’re the monsters." Before STRANGER THINGS, the Duffer Brothers showed off their sci-fi bonafides in HIDDEN, their debut feature.

"The animated young ladies who attended Miss Grimwood’s Finishing School for Girls in 1988’s SCOOBY-DOO AND THE GHOUL SCHOOL hold the honor of introducing the most iconic monsters in horror to a generation of adolescent girls."

This week on Certified Forgotten: @louispeitzman.bsky.social joins The Matts to discuss PHANTOM OF THE MALL, colon, ERIC'S REVENGE.

This week, you could go see THE ODYSSEY on the big screen again. OR you could check out DEMONICUS, "one of the most metal movies of all time." Your choice.

"So present are these portraits of Jesus and crucifixes, that they speak to a cynical sentiment reminiscent of THE EXORCIST: God will not save these people." On the iconography of KISAPMATA, Mike De Leon's groundbreaking piece of Filipino cinema.

You’ve got a 50/50 shot at guessing and I bet you’re wrong (or maybe that’s what I want you think). Talkin’ EVIL DEAD BURN with my guy @monagle.bsky.social.

How did horror become the movie story of summer 2026? @dailydead.bsky.social & @certifiedforgotten.com's @donatobomb.bsky.social talks with us about how next-gen filmmakers like Curry Barker, Kane Parsons & Sébastien Vaniček are changing the game. Listen🎧: www.thecinematropolis.com/evil-dead-bu...

Who put EVIL DEAD BURN higher in their franchise rankings, @donatobomb.bsky.social or @monagle.bsky.social? Listen to the latest episode of the podcast and find out for yourself!

Is EVIL DEAD BURN a mean movie or a cruel movie? And does the difference matter? We discuss in this week's Certified Forgotten newsletter.

Here are the five movies we're most excited about at this year's Fantasia International Film Festival.

"The true connective tissue between the films of Vaniček and Cronin is their overt enthusiasm for what they’re allowed to get away with onscreen." ICYMI: Here's our kinda glowing review of EVIL DEAD BURN.

Package just arrived, forgot I ordered this (along with a T-shirt)! Thanks Matts, happy to rep the brand! @certifiedforgotten.com @monagle.bsky.social @donatobomb.bsky.social

In the most recent episode of the podcast, writer-director Mike Mendez (SATANIC HISPANICS) shares his love for Damon Packard's unhinged (and possibly brilliant) cult classic REFLECTIONS OF EVIL.

New guest episode of the podcast went up this weekend for you enjoyment!

"Vaniček’s movie is not a horror-comedy, but it still finds some undeniable humor in watching the worst family ever become possessed." We caught up with EVIL DEAD BURN over the weekend and only had nice things to say.