Watch If You Dare
Watch If You Dare is a podcast exploring horror cinema through the eyes of a coward and the eyes of a longtime fan. Whether you’re a hardened horror expert, a casual in a love-hate relationship with scary cinema, or just a victim of a dare, join Derek, Aaron, and the occasional guest or two and face your fears. Find new episodes of Watch If You Dare on PodBean, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, CastBox, and Google Play. Please subscribe, rate and review.
Episodes
PODCAST DAY! For the 2025 holiday season, Aaron and Derek cover 1987's slasher sequel "Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2" directed by Lee Harry. They discuss why a large chunk of this movie is a recap of the first movie, Lee Harry's career, and the brief moments of actual depth through the film. They also get into Eric Freeman's relationship with his casting as Ricky Caldwell, the extremely low budget, how it's become an entertaini...
To celebrate it now being over 20 years since its release, Aaron and Derek are joined by returning guest Lauren Willson to tackle 2005's supernatural action flick "Constantine" directed by Francis Lawrence and adapted from the "Hellblazer" comic book series. They talk about how the Constantine character balances being edgy and taking the classic hero's journey. They also get into the stylistic choices of the movie, how Keanu Reeves...
For Thanksgiving, the Spoop Bois are joined by returning guest Valerie Morreale of the Screenage Wasteland film website and The Canon Podcast to tackle the 1980s cult holiday slasher film "Blood Rage" directed by John Grissmer. They discuss why they chose this film and what makes it perfect horror viewing for Thanksgiving. They also dig into what Val thought about the movie and her opinions on character motivations. Derek is not Aa...
Superstar horror author Caitlin Starling (The Graceview Patient, The Starving Saints, The Death of Jane Lawrence, The Luminous Dead, and many other works) returns to the show to discuss 2016's psychological horror film "A Cure for Wellness" directed by Gore Verbinski and written by Justin Haythe with Aaron and Derek. They get into how this movie thematically pairs well with Caitlin's new book The Graceview Patient, the pacing of go...
For Halloween 2025 and to wrap up the "High School Horror" Season of Spoop, Aaron and Derek are joined by Raf Stitt and Valerie Morreale of the Screenage Wasteland film website and The Canon Podcast to discuss 1996's slasher classic "Scream" directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. They talk about how "Scream" both honors and subverts slasher films, the thematic elements of mass violence in schools, and what it did i...
For the second "high school horror" themed Season of Spoop episode, Heather returns to the show to discuss 1976's supernatural horror movie "Carrie" directed by Brian De Palma and adapted from the Stephen King book. They get into bullying in high school, whether or not Carrie is a sympathetic character, and how this adaptation's success impacted the careers of King, De Palma, and star Sissy Spacek. They also talk about how the moth...
It's October, so 2025's Season of Spoop begins! This year the theme is "high school horror." To start off this year's series, Nate and Tyler (hosts of the Hate Speech Podcast, The Bruce Campbell Podcast and Animorphing Time Podcast) return to discuss 1998's science fiction horror film "The Faculty" directed by Robert Rodriguez with a screenplay by Kevin Williamson. They talk about what makes high school scary, the supreme late-90s...
On this episode, Aaron and Derek take a road trip with 1975's road horror film "Race with the Devil" directed by Jack Starrett. They discuss RV culture, how this movie is a mix of 70s Satanic panic, road movies, car chases and hicksploitation, and the differences between Satanism in media in the 1970s vs the 80s and 90s. They also talk about the meeting of old school Hollywood and modern horror, Peter Fonda and Warren Oates' career...
On this episode, acclaimed author Caitlin Starling (The Luminous Dead, The Starving Saints, The Death of Jane Lawrence, etc.) joins Aaron and Derek to discuss 2010's Norwegian dark fantasy mockumentary "Trollhunter" written and directed by André Øvredal. They talk about Caitlin's bibliography, inspirations, writing process and experiences with professional publishing. They also get into Trollhunter's blending of Norwegian culture a...
On this episode, Aaron and Derek discuss 1995's haunted machine film "The Mangler" directed by Tobe Hooper and based off the 1972 Stephen King short story. They talk about how Hooper combined his humorous horror sensibilities with King's insane creative energy and adding more to what is an otherwise direct adaptation of the short story. They also get into Hooper's use of lighting and set dressing, the not so subtle exploration of c...
On this episode, Aaron and Derek tackle 2001's psychological horror film "Frailty" directed by and starring Bill Paxton. They talk about Bill Paxton's creepy earnestness, how the writing cleverly handles multiple twists and reveals, and what makes this an effective horror movie without any jumpscares. They also get into McConaughey's proto-True Detective mannerisms, this flick's place between late 90s and aughts horror, and many ot...
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of "Jaws," Damian returns to the show to talk the 1975 masterpiece film directed by Steven Spielberg and adapted from the 1974 novel by Peter Benchley. They discuss why "Jaws" is a horror movie first, the effect on merchandise pre-Star Wars, and how it popularized the summer blockbuster. They also get into personal experiences with the movie, the horrors of an uncaring force of nature, differences ...
On this episode, Heather returns to discuss 2002's post-apocalyptic horror film "28 Days Later" directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland. They get into how the lo-fi quality helps enhance the movie, the effect it had on horror and pop culture, and what this did for the careers of Cillian Murphy and Naomie Harris. They also talk about how this watch was different for Derek, the characterization of Selena, and many other a...
For this Friday June 13th, actress Katie O'Hagan (Mia Winters in Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village) returns on short notice to discuss a personal favorite 1981 slasher sequel "Friday the 13th Part 2" directed by Steve Miner in his directorial debut with Derek and Aaron. They talk about the consistency of the Friday the 13th franchise, how the sequel tries to outdo the first, and the acceptance of Jason's death plot hole. Th...
On this episode, Derek and Aaron discuss 1990's psychological horror film "Jacob's Ladder" directed by Adrian Lyne. They talk about how screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin's spiritual journey and beliefs influenced the script, the heavy inspiration this movie had on the Silent Hill video game franchise, and how this sits somewhere between cult hit and horror masterpiece. They also get into the exploration of Vietnam and government experi...
Aaron's brother Josiah returns to the show to discuss 1992's New Zealand comedy splatter film "Braindead" ("Dead Alive" in North America) directed by Peter Jackson with the Spoop Bois. They talk about the wild nature of Peter Jackson's career trajectory, the amount of fake blood used with the practical effects, and the insane humor and how it works. They also get into their favorable scenes, why setting the film as a 1950s period p...
On this episode, Derek and Aaron discuss 2000's science fiction psychological horror film "The Cell" directed by Tarsem Singh. They talk about how style over substance helps this movie, the Hollywoodization of mental illness and serial killers, and how much of the plot takes place as a true crime thriller vs the dream horror scenes. They also get into how the cast features Jennifer Lopez, Vincent D'Onofrio and a slew of character a...
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of its release, Aaron and Derek discuss Italian giallo film "Deep Red ('Profondo rosso' in Italian)" directed by Dario Argento. They talk about what makes this a quintessential giallo film, the straightforward slasher elements, and how the movie challenges perception and memory. They also get into the film's portrayal of sexual orientation and gender dynamics, the thematic use of the color red, wha...
In time for Saint Patrick's Day, actress Katie O’Hagan (Mia Winters in Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village) returns to the podcast to discuss 2015's British-Irish co-produced supernatural horror movie "The Hallow" directed by Corin Hardy with Aaron and Derek! They get into the portrayal of Irish folklore with nature and vegetation, distrust of outsiders, and the horrors of changelings. They also talk about the Lebor Gabála Ér...
On this episode, Aaron and Derek tackle 1990's horror film "Def by Temptation" written, directed, and produced by James Bond III who is also the star. They talk about how this became James Bond III's passion project, the progressive and problematic aspects of the story, and Kadeem Hardison's portrayal of K through the plot. They also get into the the excellent soundtrack, the shadow of politics in a post-Reaganism urban America, an...
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