Chopping It Up

In this episode of Chopping It Up, the crew dives into the origins of found footage horror with The Blair Witch Project and Hell House LLC—and this one hits especially close to home. Literally. Jesse, Joel, and Jeannie all grew up in the Maryland area where Blair Witch was filmed, adding a personal layer to the conversation as they reflect on seeing the film during its original release and the very real confusion around whether it was… actually real.
From there, the crew breaks down the genius of Blair Witch’s marketing, its use of unknown actors and “missing footage” storytelling, and how it completely changed the horror landscape. They compare that foundation to Hell House LLC, exploring how it builds on the same techniques—found footage, folklore, and realism—while carving out its own modern identity. Along the way, they dig into film influences, the limits of the subgenre, and why these stripped-down approaches to horror can be so effective.
It’s part nostalgia, part film analysis, and part “we were there for this moment,” with the usual mix of insight, humor, and CIU chaos.

The Chopping It Up crew teams up once again with Kellie and Sarah from The Final Girls to dig into the dreamy, unsettling cult oddity Messiah of Evil (1973). What starts as a missing-father mystery in a creepy coastal town quickly turns into a discussion about art-house horror, eerie atmosphere, and some truly unforgettable scenes (looking at you, supermarket). Along the way we debate whether this cult classic is a hidden masterpiece or a beautifully weird movie that doesn’t quite stick the landing—before handing out our cleaver ratings.

In this Prime Cuts episode, we sink our teeth into Ryan Coogler’s Sinners (2025) — a Southern gothic vampire tale set in 1932 Mississippi. When twin brothers return home to open a juke joint, the night spirals into bloodshed, forcing us to ask: is this elevated horror with bite, or a beautiful mess?
We debate the film’s themes of race, religion, and cultural theft, argue about its pacing and vampire lore, and wrestle with whether the story needed more room to breathe. It’s stylish, ambitious, and definitely divisive.
Come for the blood. Stay for the argument.

This week on Prime Cuts, we’re talking Heart Eyes (2025) — a Valentine’s Day slasher that mixes rom-com charm with masked-killer chaos. When the “Heart Eyes Killer” targets couples in Seattle, marketing exec Ally and her suspiciously charming coworker Jay find themselves fighting for their lives… and maybe catching feelings along the way.
It’s self-aware, fast-paced, and packed with holiday-themed carnage. Does it reinvent the genre? No. Is it a fun seasonal watch? Absolutely.

This week on Chopping It Up, the crew revisits two ’80s cult favorites with shared DNA but very different execution: Big Trouble in Little China and The Golden Child.
The discussion explores why Big Trouble thrives as a confident genre mash-up—subverting the action hero, embracing mythological chaos, and fully committing to its weirdness—while The Golden Child often feels held back by studio expectations, despite Eddie Murphy’s charisma and a few standout performances. Along the way, the crew digs into ’80s blockbuster formulas, practical effects, representation, and what happens when a movie either commits to the bit… or doesn’t.
Two movies with similar setups, wildly different results—and plenty of laughs, side tangents, and meat-cleaver ratings along the way.

n this Prime Cuts episode, the crew heads back to Derry, Maine to slice into Welcome to Derry, the newest dip into Stephen King’s ever-expanding IT universe—minus Jesse, who we’re told was “busy,” but we assume was avoiding homework and timelines.
The gang breaks down how the show smartly uses Derry’s long history of trauma, structuring the story around past atrocities while keeping the “every 27 years” cycle intact. Highlights include some genuinely gnarly set pieces (that car scene, the theater, and a few images you won’t shake anytime soon), plus praise for Bill Skarsgård, who continues to prove that Pennywise works best when he’s unsettling, playful, and barely on screen.
There’s also plenty of King-verse nerdery—connections to The Shining, Dark Tower lore, “thin places,” and why Stranger Things may have crossed the line from homage into full-on borrowing. The episode wraps with speculation about future seasons, historical eras, and whether this thing knows when to quit (a rare but powerful skill).
Short, sharp, and delightfully obsessive—welcome back to Derry. 🎈

This week on Prime Cuts, we tackle Blood Beat—a holiday-adjacent regional horror oddity that defies explanation. Featuring telekinetic samurai armor, psychic trauma, wooden performances, and vibes that feel more manifested than written, this film exists in a category entirely its own.
We break down what Blood Beat is (and definitely isn’t), why it barely functions as a slasher, and how its surreal earnestness somehow makes it unforgettable. If you enjoy confusing, slow-burn cult horror that commits fully to its nonsense, this one’s for you.

In this episode, the CIU crew plunges into the dark, deliciously deranged imagination of Clive Barker as we pair two of his most iconic cult classics: Hellraiser and Nightbreed. We break down Barker’s singular ability to fuse beauty with brutality, the way his creatures blur the line between monster and misunderstood outcast, and why his worlds feel like nightmares you want to keep dreaming.
From Pinhead’s coldly philosophical sadism to the neon-soaked underworld of Midian, we dig into themes of desire, identity, transgression, queerness, and the horror of being truly seen. We talk practical effects, Barker’s myth-making, the franchise fallout, and how both films reshaped horror aesthetics in ways still felt today. It’s a wild ride through leather, labyrinths, monsters, and myth — exactly how Clive intended.
Whether you’re a longtime Cenobite devotee or just discovering Barker’s beautifully bonkers universe, this episode delivers a juicy, schlock-loving deep dive into two genre staples that continue to carve their hooks into horror history.

On this Prime Cuts mini-episode, the Chopping It Up crew dives beak-first into Robert Eggers’s 2015 Puritan-nightmare masterpiece, The VVitch. The team revisits the bleak New England homestead, unpacking the film’s slow-burn tension, its suffocating dread, and the brutal unraveling of a family exiled for being too devout for the Puritans themselves.
From baby-paste broomstick lore and “wet” witchcraft sequences to Calvinist paranoia, apple-laden symbolism, and that infamous goat with a taste for evil bargains, the episode explores how Eggers builds terror through atmosphere, sound, and historical detail. The hosts reflect on how the film weaponizes isolation, faith, and patriarchal control—and whether Thomasin’s final choice is a tragedy, liberation, or both.
With comparisons to The Shining, discussions of folklore accuracy, and the crew’s typical blend of humor and horror-nerdery, this Prime Cuts installment celebrates The VVitch as a near-flawless piece of folk horror that only gets richer on rewatch.

We’re back with a full episode and a double dose of rage. This time, it’s Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later and the long-awaited 28 Years Later. From fast zombies to slow burns, we dig into the fear, the filmmaking, and the very British end of the world.