Best Den Of Geek Podcasts (2025)

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In conversation with Phil Johnston - The Twits, Wreck-It Ralph, Cedar Rapids and more 36:07

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19h ago36:07

36:07

Quite the story, this. Phil Johnston, in a special episode of Film Stories, takes us through his own tale, and how it led to a nomination at the Academy Awards. He and Simon chat through the struggles to get The Twits - an adaptation of Roald Dahl's book - off the ground, and how for a few weeks it all looked like it'd fallen apart. Plus, how he la…

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Greg Nicotero Talks Guts & Glory, Creepshow, and Universal Monsters 40:05

2d ago40:05

40:05

Legendary makeup FX artist, director, and producer Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead, Creepshow, Day of the Dead) joins host Aaron Sagers on Talking Strange to discuss his new, blood-soaked Shudder horror competition series, Guts & Glory. Nicotero shares behind-the-scenes secrets of the show’s creation, the challenges of bringing classic gore to a ne…

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Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) and Doctor Who (2010s unmade movie) 1:00:04

5d ago1:00:04

1:00:04

There's a time travel theme to this latest episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, starting with Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Quite the story behind this, too. The distributor going bankrupt just as the movie was being finished, the year-long delay to its release, the audition that threw Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter together...? There's quite…

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In conversation with David Zucker | Top Secret, Airplane, The Naked Gun, The Star Of Malta, books, and more 1:19:06

8d ago1:19:06

1:19:06

In a very special episode of the Film Stories podcast, writer/producer/director David Zucker joins Simon for a conversation about his work. Amongst the films that come up in the chat? Airplane!, which is shortly getting as we'll hear an unusual director's cut, Top Secret!, the original The Naked Gun trilogy, My Big Fat Important Important (better k…

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Elvira Talks Halloween, Horror, & ‘Cookbook From Hell’ 31:48

9d ago31:48

31:48

She’s the Queen of Halloween, the Mistress of the Dark, and a certified pop culture legend. Now Elvira is taking over the kitchen! Cassandra Peterson joins host Aaron Sagers to talk about her first-ever cookbook, Elvira’s Cookbook From Hell (out September 30). Together they dish on the devilishly delicious recipes, the campy humor, and the spooky s…

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Top Gun (1986), plus Embeth Davidtz 1:15:46

12d ago1:15:46

1:15:46

It started as a magazine article, and ended up as a global phenomenon. Yet the journey to 1986's Top Gun wasn't a straightforward one. You have cast members unsure if they wanted to commit and a studio that took a long time to decide it wanted the film. Then, director Tony Scott started shooting the movie in a way that, er, Paramount Pictures wasn'…

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In conversation with Malcolm McDowell 35:18

15d ago35:18

35:18

Now here's a man with a whole bunch of stories. Malcolm McDowell joins the Film Stories podcast for a special episode, where we go through his stories. The conversation takes us from ITV's Crossroads to his latest release - The Partisan - which is in cinemas now (and on digital from 27th October.) We find out where Burscough comes into his life, th…

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REWIND: RIP Bigfoot Researcher Jeff Meldrum 1:26:35

18d ago1:26:35

1:26:35

[This episode first ran on October 19, 2022] Dr. Jeff Meldrum was one of the foremost Bigfoot researchers out there. He was a Professor of Anatomy & Anthropology at Idaho State University, and his work centered on the evolution of hominin bipedalism. He joined Talking Strange in 2022 (on the 55th Anniversary of the famed Patterson-Gimlin footage) t…

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The Running Man (1987) and Wreck-It Ralph (2012) 1:01:11

19d ago1:01:11

1:01:11

The first screen adaptation of The Running Man saw four different directors fired, the final director come in once filming had begun (while Arnold Schwarzenegger and his lycra were away from the set). Schwarzenegger would lament the final film, and Stephen King - who penned the original novel (as Richard Bachman) - wouldn't be hugely impressed eith…

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In conversation with Michael Kurinsky | Scoob: Holiday Haunt, The Beatles, Disney, Sony, Warner Bros and more 1:45:03

22d ago1:45:03

1:45:03

Well, where do you start? Michael Kurinsky is a man whose built a career that saw him drawing enormous pictures of The Beatles, to a dream of working for Warner Bros, to years with Disney, years with Sony Pictures Animation, and then the jump to the place he was in awe of. His Warner Bros experience saw him working on the film Scoob!, and then he w…

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The Shawshank Redemption (1994) and All Is Lost (2013) 1:12:16

26d ago1:12:16

1:12:16

The Shawshank Redemption, just starring Tom Cruise and Harrison Ford in the lead roles? It might just have happened, if writer/director Frank Darabont hadn't turned down a life-changing offer to let someone else direct the film. Instead, he dug in, and put together - across a testing production - a film that's gone on to be very highly regarded. Ev…

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Alaska’s Inukuns: True Crime Meets Paranormal Legend in 'Blood & Myth' 55:49

30d ago55:49

55:49

On this episode of Talking Strange, host Aaron Sagers explores the haunting true crime and paranormal story behind Blood & Myth, the new Hulu original documentary now streaming. Aaron speaks with Blood & Myth director Kahlil Hudson and author/executive producer James Dommek Jr.about the violent crimes that shook a remote Native village in Northern …

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Reservoir Dogs (1992) and the DIVX video disc format (1998) 1:15:04

1M ago1:15:04

1:15:04

A lot of the story of Quentin Tarantino's debut movie, Reservoir Dogs, is very well known. The tale of a man working in a video store writing scripts, and becoming Hollywood's hottest filmmaker in a matter of years. But still: there are also tales of sticky blood. Of casting fly-bys. And of a ban that actually was nothing of the sort. The second fi…

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Strange Harvest: Cosmic Horror, Mr. Shiny, and New Terror 47:25

1M ago47:25

47:25

On this episode of Talking Strange, host Aaron Sagers dives into the terrifying world of Strange Harvest (now streaming on demand), the new horror film blending serial killer chills with cosmic dread. Aaron is joined by Stuart Ortiz, co-writer/director of the cult hit Grave Encounters, and Jesse J. Clarkson, who both designed the eerie production a…

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The entire Divergent franchise (2014-2016) and Adventureland (2009) 1:15:17

1M ago1:15:17

1:15:17

Twilight and The Hunger Games set the bar high for young adult movie adaptations in late 2000s/early 2010s, and when Veronica Roth's Divergent series of books came onto the market, a deal was soon struck. The plan? A trilogy of movies, which soon expanded to four films. The challenge? Making them to hit an annual release slot, against a backdrop of…

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In conversation with Samara Weaving and Jimmy Warden 46:05

1M ago46:05

46:05

In this special episode of Film Stories, Samara Weaving, Jimmy Warden and - yes! - Muriel the dog join Simon for a chat. Jimmy has written/directed the film Borderline, which arrives in the UK on demand in September 2025. Samara Weaving stars in the film, and the pair talk about the movie, a weird Junior jigsaw, getting permission from Arnold Schwa…

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Disney’s Beak and Barrel, Halloween Horror Nights, and Queen Mary Hauntings 31:16

1M ago31:16

31:16

Step into the spooky side of theme parks and haunted legends with Aaron Sagers on this episode of Talking Strange! First, Aaron takes you inside his exclusive sneak preview of The Beak and Barrel, the brand-new Pirates of the Caribbean bar at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. From pirate lore to Easter eggs from the films, discover why this swashb…

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The Adventures Of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert (1994), plus Jay Roach 1:09:14

2M ago1:09:14

1:09:14

The late, great Terence Stamp's death at the age of 87 has left behind an incredible body of work, but what a gamble The Adventures Of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert was. He'd never headlined a comedy, he'd never done a musical, he wasn't keen on Australia - and yet he agreed to sign up for a low budget Australian indie that over three decades later…

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In conversation with Chris Columbus: The Thursday Murder Club, Nine Months, Maiden Voyage, The Beatles and more 50:43

2M ago50:43

50:43

Returning to the Film Stories podcast is writer/director/producer Chris Columbus, as his new movie - The Thursday Murder Club - arrives in cinemas, with Netflix release due at the end of August 2025. He talks Simon through the movie, and where it was when he came to it. They also chat about Hugh Grant's hair in Nine Months, films he's produced such…

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Cruel Intentions (1999), plus Akiva Schafer 59:03

2M ago59:03

59:03

Writer/director Roger Kumble had never made a film as he approached the back end of the 1999s, but had two very acclaimed plays under his belt. This, he figures, was his moment, and in under two weeks, he wrote the first draft of what would become Cruel Intentions. And while the project would soon pick up momentum, it still required him to get on h…

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Witchboard (2025) Director Chuck Russell Talks Paranormal Beliefs & Return to Horror 42:43

2M ago42:43

42:43

Horror master Chuck Russell — the director behind A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, The Blob, The Mask, Eraser, and The Scorpion King — returns to the genre with Witchboard (2025). In this Talking Strange interview, Russell opens up to host Aaron Sagers about his own beliefs in the supernatural, his hands-on research into pendulum boards…

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In conversation with Mikael Salomon - The Abyss, Hard Rain, Backdraft, Arachnophobia, and a whole lot more 1:21:42

2M ago1:21:42

1:21:42

In a very special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon chats to cinematographer and director Mikael Salomon. The pair go through Mikael's extraordinary career, that's taken him from Denmark to Hollywood and back again. And Mikael tells his stories: his early years, how he came to the attention of James Cameron, working on The Abyss, Arachnoph…

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Christopher Monfette's TexArcanum: Horror, Folklore & Cowboy Magic 50:29

3M ago50:29

50:29

On this episode of Talking Strange, host Aaron Sagers chats with writer and producer Christopher Monfette, the creative mind behind TexArcanum, the new supernatural western comic from Dark Horse Comics. TexArcanum is a genre-bending tale of cowboy arcanist Avery Belle, who finds himself caught in a supernatural land feud teeming with ghosts, demons…

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In conversation with director Matt Shakman: The Fantastic Four, Dick Tracy, Gremlins 2, writing career-changing letters 47:05

3M ago47:05

47:05

In a special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon is joined by director Matt Shakman. They were chatting at the junket for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is now in cinemas. But this conversation went in lots of different directions. For your eardrums here, we go into Dick Tracy, Gremlins 2, the Star Trek film that never was, and the c…

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The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach (1988) 1:06:03

3M ago1:06:03

1:06:03

The very future of the James Bond movie franchise was resting on The Spy Who Loved Me. Producer Albert R Broccoli was contending with the dissolution of his business partnership, a potential rival film, and an underperforming previous 007 film. Plus, questions about his leading man. And it was a leading man causing conversations when it came to Pol…

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Naked Gun 33 1/3 (1994) and Cast Away (2000) 1:00:09

3M ago1:00:09

1:00:09

The behind the scenes stories of two movies, starting with Naked Gun 33 1/3, a movie that saw franchise director David Zucker opt to step back, and thirtysomething Peter Segal make his directorial debut. The problem? There was a comedy to make, and Segal was struggling to get a connection with his leading man, the late Leslie Nielsen. 2000's Cast A…

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In conversation with Nick Mohammed 41:55

3M ago41:55

41:55

He's currently - at the time of recording - touring the UK with his Mr Swallow show, but Nick Mohammed is also one of the leads in Deep Cover, a really impressive UK film that's riding high on Prime Video. In this Film Stories special, he talks to Simon about his ventures into movies, joining Slow Horses, the impact of Ted Lasso, and his love of ma…

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Katrina Weidman & Steve Shippy: Secrets of Paranormal Caught On Camera 1:11:17

3M ago1:11:17

1:11:17

Host Aaron Sagers sits down with fellow Paranormal Caught On Camera stars Katrina Weidman and Steve Shippy to pull back the curtain on Season 9 of the hit Travel Channel / Max / Discovery+ series. From behind-the-scenes scares to the wildest evidence caught on tape, no ghost (or alien or bigfoot) is left unturned. Katrina shares insights from her l…

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The Godfather Part III (1990) and Clueless (1995) 1:09:32

3M ago1:09:32

1:09:32

Nearly 500 episodes in, and the Film Stories podcast finally arrives at a Godfather film. Specifically, The Godfather Part III, a fascinating project whose behind the scenes story went on for over a decade. The number of attempts to get the film made climbed into double figures, named such as Sylvester Stallone, Madonna and John Travolta were among…

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In conversation with Ilya Naishuller: Heads Of State, Hardcore Henry, Nobody and more 58:22

4M ago58:22

58:22

In a very special episode of the Film Stories podcast, director Ilya Naishuller joins Simon to talk about his new film, Heads Of State. Thing is, they talk about a hell of a lot of other things too before they get there. Nunchuks, sausages, Hardcore Henry, grief, CG on a pint of bitter, Nobody, trying to work a clapperboard... quite a conversation …