344 - The Dark and the Wicked (2020)

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

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Cecil Baldwin (0:30)

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Jeffrey Cranor (0:42)

Hi, I'm Jeffrey Cranor and my friend Cecil Baldwin loves horror movies, and he's helping make this genre more approachable for me and hopefully for you too. One film at a time in a random order. Are you squeamish about horror movies? Don't worry, we'll tell you what happens. Adore horror movies?

Cecil Baldwin (0:59)

Well, great.

Jeffrey Cranor (1:00)

Watch along with us each week. As always, check the show notes for content warnings about this week's episode discussion and film. This week, we randomly rolled a 3 for demonic and a 6 for rural. Here is episode 344

Cecil Baldwin (1:28)

This week on Random Number Generator Horror Podcast No. 9, The Dark and the Wicked 2020 Warning.

Spoilers ahead.

Jeffrey Cranor (1:44)

My favorite thing about having a family is that everything is perfect all the time. No one fights or stews quietly about old pain. There's no trauma or history there. Family is peaceful and safe, and that's that.

I come from a family that doesn't like to air shit out, unlike the kind of families of the big cities like New York City where I've lived for the past 20 years. My family is from Oklahoma and Texas, so this week's film, The Dark and the Wicked, really resonated with me on a certain level. My family possesses far more love for each other than the fictional Straker family. But one of the big themes in this movie is an inability to come together to address hard issues, to talk, to share secrets.

Back in the late 90s, a few years after my grandfather died, my aunt put together a book of letters he had sent her over the years. There was a lot of chit-chat, some jokes that did not age well, and some really interesting stories from our family history. Some arguments, fights, and drama, and I was into it. My grandmother, not so much, she was not pleased that these stories were there for any of us to read. Now, before you think these were stories of affairs and murder and secret children, nope, nope, and nope. The most salacious story was about how my granddad, an air conditioning engineer, did free air conditioning install for his brother-in-law, who ran a nursery for plants. Later, the brother-in-law did landscaping for my grandfather, and then sent my grandfather a bill.

My granddad was angry and stopped speaking to him. It's intense, but also pretty normal family drama. I was never sure why this was a dark family secret. I've struggled my whole life trying to connect with my family, but there's always some quiet conflict I can't break through. I want to tackle those things. I want to speak my mind respectfully, but it's hard when no one else wants to do that. And as the character Michael says a few times in this movie, I want to feel something, but I don't. And that really hit home. Thankfully, my issues just lead to uncomfortable family gatherings, and I don't have to guard against demons. Though if there were a demon out there hunting my family, I'd be like, no, fuck this shit, I'm out.

Honestly, though, I still think I'd at least try to show up. I can't believe I admitted that. Hi, Cecil.

Cecil Baldwin (3:51)

Hi, Jeffrey.

Jeffrey Cranor (3:52)

What's your favorite livestock or dairy animal?

Cecil Baldwin (3:55)

Oh, no.

Jeffrey Cranor (3:57)

If you had to have one, not as a pet, but as a producer.

Cecil Baldwin (4:01)

I'm raising this animal solo or in a group.

Jeffrey Cranor (4:05)

Yes.

Cecil Baldwin (4:07)

I mean, goats are awesome, but weird. I think I'd have to go with the same as this family and go with sheep, just because sheep are slightly less creepy.

Jeffrey Cranor (4:23)

Are these sheep or goats? These are goats, right? Oh, okay.

Cecil Baldwin (4:27)

Those are sheeps.

Jeffrey Cranor (4:29)

I can't tell the difference. I think they're pretty sure they're sheeps.