This May Hurt a Bit

40 Episodes
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By: James Strayer and John C Meyers

A franchise podcast for the Horror Completionist. Hosts James Strayer and John C Meyers talk and analyze their way film by film through horror's longest running franchises. How do they evolve? What do new filmmakers bring when a franchise is several films deep? Usually, they start out great but perhaps 6- 8 entries in... they start to hurt a bit. Music by Michael Arthur Holloway and logo by Ethan Kimberling. Follow us on Instagram at: thismayhurtabitpod

Warlock Wrap Up
#126
Today at 12:00 AM

We talk through the series as a whole! Best kills, best Warlock, where to go with the franchise next! And of course, which series we will watch after....


Warlock 3: The End of Innocence
#125
10/04/2025

"Hellraiser's" Kirsty- Ashley Laurence herself- stars in this third and final installment of the "Warlock" series. This extremely 90s straight to video sequel also boasts a new title character since Julien Sands decided to pass. Not awful, but after the last two, its a bit of a drop- and why is that Warlock still here????


Warlock: The Armageddon with Steven Kostanski!
#124
09/20/2025

Steven Kostanski, director of "Psycho Goreman", "Frankie Freako", "The Void" and the upcoming remake of "Deathstalker" joins us to discuss the even more crazy, "Warlock 2". What are the rules of being a Warlock? How did half of those effects come to fruition? How does Julien Sands make it all look so effortless? 

We also talk extensively about his own films, his work on "In a Violent Nature", balancing being a writer/director with being an effects artist- and how the latter guy has to put up with the former guy when it comes time to execute an i...


Warlock
#123
09/06/2025

Julien Sands and Richard E Grant face off in this fantasy horror about the son of Satan assembling a grimoire to bring about the end of the world. What more could you want? Throw in some great flying effects, animatronic eyeballs and a potion involving an unbaptized child and you've got a great gateway horror. 


Sleepaway Camp Wrap up- with special guest- Matthew Wynn
#122
08/23/2025

We wrap up our franchise chat, talking about all 5 Sleepaway Camp films! Joining us is scholar and author, Matthew Wynn to speak to us about his love for the series and most importantly- sharing sections of his Sleepaway Camp 3.5 script, written when he was just 16 years old. 

Matthew's Youtube Channel





Return to Sleepaway Camp
#121
08/09/2025

Robert Hiltzik is back! Felissa Rose is back! Alan is... one of the most irritating characters in a slasher? The director's second feature in 20 years provides some inventively intentioned kills, but still pretty light on the tension. 

Oh and Alan... yeah, Alan. 


Sleepaway Camp 4: The Survivor/ They/Them
#120
07/26/2025

This was a tough one- 55 min of a 70 min film is a recycle of the previous 3 films! So to make sure we deliver, how about 30 minutes from our Patreon episode about "They / Them" ? So uh- subscribe to our Patreaon! 


Sleepaway Camp 3: Teenage Wasteland
#119
07/12/2025

Angela is back, killing her way through a new camp, taking the identity of a much younger camper. Will the punks survive? How will Michael J Pollard make use of a Playboy bunny belt buckle? Does she make it out alive for a part 4?


Sleep Away Camp 2: Unhappy Campers with Brie Williams
#118
06/28/2025

Brie Williams (filmmaker and writer for "Welcome to Nightvale") joins us to discsuss this sequel! This one leans much more into the self aware horror/comedy genre starring the sister of one of America's most beloved musicians. Grab your polaroid camera and join us in discussing outhouses, excessive nudity and ... party hats. 


Sleepaway Camp
#117
06/14/2025

Pull on your best cut off short shorts and let's head to camp! Angela and Ricky are sent to summer camp by Aunt Martha and kids start dropping like flies. Who's the killer? Will Mel be able to keep it all quiet? And did you see that famous ending coming? 


Hellraiser Wrap Up
#116
06/07/2025

We made it. 11 Hellraiser movies. 5-ish months. Do we sound tired? Maybe a little beaten down? We talk through the series as a whole, our favorite kills, the best Cenobite designs and what happens when you watch this many in a truncated period of time, in all its Pleasure and Pain. 


Hellraiser (2022)
#115
05/31/2025

David Bruckner reinvents the franchise after years and years... and years of attempts to retain the rights. Jamie Clayton gives a new interpretation of Pinhead and we get about 6 more Cenobites! Does it work? Is it exactly what we wanted?? Let's talk about the final (as of this recording) Hellraiser movie. 


BONUS Episode: Final Destination Bloodlines
#114
05/24/2025

Newly minted "Bloodlines" of all sorts expert, Michael Holloway joins us to chat about the latest installment of the Final Destination series! If you are new to the show, you can hear us discuss the rest of the series back in September of 2022. 


Hellraiser Judgement
#113
05/17/2025

Gary Tunnicliffe, the Keeper of the Hellraiser Lore, finally gets his chance to write and direct a Hellraiser film. Every dollar is on the screen (and then some) with this one. Not as bad as it could be, though. And we will always celebrate the Passion. Unfortunately Gary pays a price- and that is his long friendship with Doug Bradley. 


Hellraiser Revelations
#112
05/03/2025

We finally made it... to THIS one. Had more fun talking about it than watching it but at least it *feels* like a Hellraiser movie. Shot in 11 days for $300K, this was another attempt to retain those rights at the last minute. 


Hellraiser: Hellworld
#111
04/19/2025

Evil Goes Online. For about 15 minutes.. and then we're just at a house party. Henry Cavill! Lance Henricksen! Pinhead decapitations! Well, they did what they could with a week's prep time.. sorta. 


Hellraiser: Deader
04/05/2025

Finally. We got to "Deader". And uh.. hey if you're grading on a recent curve, kinda worth checking out. Let's all go to Romania, cuz Amsterdam is so 90s. Are you still with us on this journey? 


Hellraiser: Hellseeker
#109
03/22/2025

We start the Bota triptych and seek some Hell- of our own making! And it seems like Hell is... just sorta annoying. Most importantly, its the return of Kirsty, our final girl from the original two films. Also, spot the Double Bradley! 


Hellraiser: Inferno
#198
03/08/2025

"Sinister" and "Doctor Strange" filmmaker, Scott Derrickson's first feature film shows us what happens when you go the "Hell of your Own Making" route. This movie thinks it is *very* clever and doesn't quite hit the spot for us with all of its shoehorned ideas. 


Hellraiser IV: Bloodlines
#107
02/22/2025

We welcome back special guest, Michael Holloway! Ok, part 4 runs through about 300+ years and that IS ambitious. Does Alan Smithee pull it off? Is the Workcut better? Is Angelique a lover of Pinhead or an adversary??


Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth
02/08/2025

Is there enough to discuss in this movie to make a 90 minute show? We think so. This is where Hellraiser veers off into true franchise territory, hitting that sweet slasher time in the early 90s. 

Pinhead goes freelance, tries his luck without Leviathan to create a Hell on Earth. Who's your favorite psuedo-Cenobite? Do they stack up to Butterball, Chatterer and Female Cenobite? 

Hellraiser- Motorhead video



Hellbound: Hellraiser II
#105
01/25/2025

What's your Pleasure? Scalpel self mutilation? Messages from the beyond delivered by Skinless Men? A Labyrinth of personal hells overseen by a Leviathan? If you're like us, you'll enjoy the second Hellraiser film!


Hellraiser
#104
01/11/2025

We discuss Clive Barker's seminal first film! Not a slasher of the 80s as it is often lumped in with, this much more adult  love story tackles themes of longing, complacency... and intradimensional kink demons.

There's 11 of these... and we're hitting all of them. Join us! 


Coil's Unreleased Hellraiser soundtrack


Gremlins Wrap Up
01/04/2025

We wrap up 2, count 'em 2 Gremlins films. Favorite Gremlin? Favorite Kill? What else could you really do with this franchise after pushing the boundaries with "The New Batch"?


Gremlins 2: The New Batch w/ special guest, Dan McCoy!
#102
12/28/2024

Joe Dante finally returns with an idea for a sequel that is so great- the franchise went no further! Co-host of The Flophouse, Dan McCoy joins us to discuss a deeply held favorite of his and ours. 

The Flophouse Podcast

Key and Peele- Gremlins 2


Gremlins
#101
12/14/2024

The only way to complete talking about rasclin' is to talk about the one that did it best, "Gremlins". Do we like the  darker version of the script or the family friendly version? Who's your favorite bar Gremlin? 


Critters Wrap Up & Frankie Freako with Stuart Wellington!
#100
12/07/2024

In our 100th episode, we wrap up all five Critters movies with special guest Stuart Wellington! Before we get into Critters, we talk, "FRANKIE FREAKO" by Steven Kostanski, which is partially inspired by "little guys rasclin' around" type movies. Speaking of- most rewatchable sequel? Best kill? Best scene of Rasclin'?

Listen to more Stuart on The Flophouse podcast and look for Frankie Freako on VOD!


Critters Attack!
#99
11/30/2024

The 5th and final entry in the Critters saga, some 27 years after the previous. Does "Aunt Dee" rise to the ranks of a Lori Strode of Sally Hardesty for one last ride? Does the late entry of a Mogwai like creature help? These answers are "no" of course, but still fun to talk about. 


Critters 4
#98
11/16/2024

We make it to space in four movies! This actually makes sense for this series since that's where we started. Holy moly, look at this cast though. Angela Bassett, Brad Dourif... Eric DaRe!


Critters 3 with John Bolds!
11/02/2024

We welcome John Bolds from the "Open Pike Night" podcast to discuss the Leonardo DiCaprio vehicle, "Critters 3". These Critters sure are huge and Charlie gets a solid arch - but what happened in between Part 2 and 3? 


BONUS Episode: It Follows/ Loving, OH with Matt Erman
#96
10/31/2024

Bonus Episode! We talk about the Darkhorse Comics release,  "Loving, OH" with writer Matt Erman! He talks about working with artist Sam Beck, growing up in Ohio, his cult upbringing which is the inspiration for the book, and how it all ties in with “It Follows!”

https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/3009-202/Loving-Ohio-TPB


BONUS ep: Fright Boys 2024 Halloween Round Up
#95
10/26/2024

We are joined once again by Michael Holloway to discuss the horror movies (non franchise) that we have been watching for the Halloween season!

• In a Voilent Nature
• The Tingler
• The Substance
• Terrifier 3
• The Spider Labyrinth
• Hush
• Oddity
• Abigail 
• Misery
• Don’t Look Now
• Dr. Giggles
• Pieces
• Blood Lake
• Cyclops
• Rabid
• Night Screams
• Graduation Day
• Frankenstein
• I Saw the TV Glow 
• Angst 
• Night of the Creeps
• The Alien Factor 


Critters 2: The Main Course
#94
10/19/2024

Our favorite little rascals are back and have certainly upped the ante in the realm of Rasclin'. More comedy this time around, more cartoon-ish, and a bit of a lighter tone. This should be in your regular Easter Horror movie rotation each year. 

Also thanks to Variety for our little blurb in Best of October:
https://variety.com/lists/horror-movies-to-watch-october-2024/

And make sure to see "Terrifier 3" in theaters and see the work of friend of the show, Jolene Marie in the wardrobe department!


Critters
#93
10/05/2024

We dive into a new franchise with "Critters"! Little tiny creatures from outer space, rasclin' around a small farm in Kansas. But wait, there area also intergalactic bounty hunters and Neelix! 


The Texas Chain Saw Wrap Up
#92
09/28/2024

It's been a long hot summer. We conclude our series on TCM by wrapping up the whole franchise. Favorite Kill? Favorite final girl? Favorite Leatherface? 


Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)
#91
09/21/2024

Rounding out this franchise with the straight to Netflix, 9th film in the franchise. Sally returns to help out some gentrifying teens in a small Texas town. We find a few positives, but this is a rough one. 


Leatherface (2017)
#90
09/07/2024

We can't make heads nor tails of the continuity and references in this one and it turns into a pretty wild and wholly conversation about (another) origin of Leatherface. 


Texas Chainsaw (3D)
#89
08/25/2024

Special Guest Rob Campbell, the Titan of 3D Entertainment, returns to discuss this 3D sequel. Let's all appreciate for a moment that Rob went out and bought a used 3D home television with glasses AND- a 3D DVD to bring you his analysis. 

https://www.shirtnerdery.com/


The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
#88
08/10/2024

Let's travel back to the beginning of this particular timeline with a really mean and nasty origin story for Leatherface and the family. Tommy gets a Saw!


The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) with special guest Kelly Woessner!
#87
07/27/2024

We are joined by Kelly Woessner to discuss this 2003 remake! How does anyone capture the magic of the original? Well... they don't- they do their own thing, for better or for worse. Do you like this kind of Polished Grit? Did you see this before the original?