The Babadook vs Hereditary: Grief Horror Showdown

Sledd's back from his self-imposed "sled season" break with maybe his most personal pairing yet: two movies about mothers who are, in his professional opinion, doing their absolute worst — and somehow still more sympathetic than the demon-summoning grandma in the attic. Jesse and Jeannie both watched The Babadook for the first time this episode and have feelings (mostly about insect chittering and never wanting to rewatch it). Joel attempts to defend Gabriel Byrne's parenting. Sledd defends his own questionable childhood relationship with a dead bird. The crew gets into grief-as-monster metaphors, generational curses, postpartum horror, and a Franklin Award debate that's not close (sorry, Samuel). Plus: the Babadook's design has a 1920s silent film ancestor, Hereditary made eight times its budget, and someone brings up Hack-O-Lantern unprompted. Two heavy hitters, zero good parents, and a demon named Paimon who's just trying his best.