Damien McCarthy's Hokum (2026) puts Eric and Josh on opposite sides for the first time this season, and it is the kind of split this show was named for. Adam Scott plays Om Baumann, a whiskey-drinking novelist who travels to a remote inn in Ireland to spread his parents' ashes and finds the place full of things he did not bargain for.

Josh enjoyed it. He sees a complete three-act story, a real character arc, and a director who keeps refining his craft from Caveat through Oddity into this. He came in blind, walked out grinning, and is ready to defend the film. Eric did not. Eric walked out feeling exactly like he did walking out of Undertone: good atmosphere does not make for a great film. He spends the episode making the case that McCarthy can build a mood like nobody else and still cannot land a through line, and that audiences should not have to do the homework in post.

The hosts go beat by beat: the cold open, the end of the first act, the witch lore, the small details that either matter or do not, depending on whose side you are on. Josh argues forgiveness. Eric argues craft.

In the VHS Vault, Josh pulls Galaxy Quest (1999) and makes a case nobody is going to argue with: it is the best Star Trek movie ever made.

Eric's rating: VOD.

Josh's rating: Watch in Theater.

This is a Dad, You're Wrong episode in the truest sense. Pick a side.

Curry Barker's feature debut Obsession (2026) lands the rarest kind of episode for Dad, You're Wrong: the one where Eric and Josh agree on everything. Both hosts walked in blind. Both walked out with the same call. Both have it as their number one film of the year so far.

This is a one million dollar monkey's paw cautionary tale starring Michael Johnston as Bear, a shy music store clerk with a years-long crush, and Indy Navarrette as Nikki, the childhood friend on the receiving end of one very ill-advised wish. Eric and Josh dig into Barker's restraint as a craftsman, the way he holds back just enough to keep the suspense alive when most modern horror is busy shocking or jump-scaring. They make the case for Indy Navarrette’s performance as the horror Oscar of the year. They place Bear in the lineage of detestable modern leading men, alongside Companion's Jack Quaid and Holcomb's Adam Scott, and explain why he tops them both. And they trace the influences running through the film, from Sam Raimi to It Follows to Lost Highway.

Eric's rating: Watch in Theater. Twice, if you can swing it.

Josh's rating: Watch in Theater.

Dad, You're Wrong is back for 2026, and Eric and Josh couldn't have picked a more fitting film to kick things off.

Undertone is a film about a paranormal podcaster who probably should have stopped listening after the first audio file. It is ninety-three minutes of exceptional sound design, one remarkable performance, slow camera work that borrows heavily from the right toolboxes, and a script that Eric and Josh land in very different places on.

Josh walked out wanting to watch it again that same day. Eric checked his phone three or four times.

They dig into the analog versus digital horror debate, the Skinamarink and Iron Lung comparisons, the unreliable narrator theory that might explain everything, the threads that never get tied, and why the sound design is either the whole movie or the problem with the movie depending on who you ask. Josh makes the most coherent case for the ending either of them has heard. Eric almost agrees.

VHS Vault: Josh finds a Sundance screener of Darren Aronofsky's Pi (1998) at a thrift store in Pilsen. It connects to this episode more than you might expect.

Plus: what is coming next, why trepanning came up, and the question this film kept making Eric ask about A24's recent output.

Eric's Rating: VOD Josh's Rating: Theater

It's the episode we've been building toward all year. Eric and Josh are joined by two very special guests—Luz and Shelly—to aggregate their individual top 10 horror lists into one definitive 2025 countdown.

Four voices. Four lists. One brutal point system. Films rise and fall based on consensus, and some surprises emerge when wildly different tastes collide. Who championed what? Which film sparked the most debate? And which beloved pick landed on only ONE person's list?

From body horror masterpieces to vampire epics, from mystery box nightmares to films that left us genuinely speechless—this episode covers the best horror had to offer in 2025. Plus: honorable mentions, the films that just missed the cut, and one movie so good it reminded us why we love cinema.

No spoilers here. You'll have to listen to find out what made the cut.

Explicit Content Warning: Strong language and film spoilers throughout.

When does "I can fix him" become "I can outrun him in the snow"?

Eric and Josh tackle Dream Eater (2025), a found footage sleepwalking horror from directors Jay Kulik, Mallory Drum, and Alex Lee Williams. A filmmaker documents her boyfriend's violent parasomnia during a remote cabin getaway, but when his sleepwalking worsens, she suspects something far more sinister than a medical condition.

They break down the Lovecraftian mythology, debate whether the chemistry works, and discuss why this film with so many ingredients they love somehow doesn't add up to a satisfying meal. Plus: the cartoonish Unsolved Mysteries vignette that ripped them out of the story, why you should always pack your bags when your partner starts crab-walking at 3 AM, and the disappointing CGI demon reveal that wasted the film's potential.

VHS Vault: The Gate (1987) - Stephen Dorff battles stop-motion demons in peak '80s horror excellence.

Eric's Rating: Skip Josh's Rating: Free

Episode Description (For RSS/Distribution)

Oz Perkins returns with Keeper (2025), and Eric and Josh struggle to understand what happened. After the triumph of Longlegs, expectations were high - and this one doesn't meet them. They break down a film that's essentially one hour of setup and twenty minutes of payoff, question whether proven talent can miss this badly, and try to find something positive to say about a movie that neither host recommends. The shortest episode yet, because sometimes there's only so much you can say without just tearing something down. Plus: Small Soldiers (1998) in the VHS Vault - a film that actually delivers on its premise.

Eric's Rating: Skip Josh's Rating: Skip

Dev Patel stars in Rabbit Trap (2025), a slow-burn psychological horror set in the Welsh countryside that's sitting at 42% on Rotten Tomatoes - apparently the magic number for films we love.

We analyze the impeccable sound design (critical when your leads are a sound engineer and synth musician), debate whether the Welsh countryside qualifies as a fourth character, and unpack the fairy tale folklore woven throughout. With only three actors carrying the entire runtime, the performances either make or break this one.

Plus: The murmuration of birds that opens the film and why it matters more than you think.

Eric's Rating: Theater Josh's Rating: Theater

Chris Stuckmann's feature debut Shelby Oaks (2025) finally arrives, and we have very different reactions. Produced by Mike Flanagan and years in the making, this found-footage film about a missing paranormal investigation team has divided audiences - and us.

We dig into the first act's promise versus the third act's delivery, debate whether YouTuber-to-filmmaker transitions can work, and confront the elephant in the room: hellhounds and flashlights. One of us is putting it in our top ten. The other is calling it the most disappointing film of the year.

Plus: DIY Halloween costume breakdown featuring an Exorcist priest with authentic pea soup vomit recipe.

Eric's Rating: Theater Josh's Rating: Nyquil

We kick off Dad, You're Wrong with Vicious (2025), Bryan Bertino's atmospheric slow-burn starring Dakota Fanning. Sitting at 42% on Rotten Tomatoes, this might be the most underrated horror film of the year - or proof that audiences know something we don't.

We break down Bertino's signature tension-building from The Strangers and The Dark and the Wicked, debate whether Kathryn Hunter's performance is mesmerizing or maddening, and ask the critical question: If you receive a mysterious box, do you pretend you've never watched a single Twilight Zone episode?

Plus: Vampire Hunter D (1985) emerges from the VHS Vault with a warning about checking your tapes for mold.

Eric's Rating: Theater Josh's Rating: Theater