The holidays have arrived at Now Playing Podcast, and our hosts are settling in for a marathon of Hallmark Christmas movies. When they’re not busy with that, they’ll be recording NINE new episodes for December, including the return of some dormant franchises, fresh entries in the Stephen King retrospective, more Paranormal Activity for donors, and a special holiday gift just for Jakob.
Here’s everything coming to Now Playing Podcast in December 2021.
December 3 – Paranormal Activity 2
The sequel to the 2007 blockbuster is actually a prequel (well, taking place one month before), exploring the demonic origins of the “activity” and its relation to sisters Katie and Kristi. If you’ve seen the movie, you know what kind of home video hijinks are in store. Listeners can hear the review and all of the reviews in the Paranormal Activity series with a donation of $25 or more during the 2021 Fall/Winter Donation Drive.
December 7 – Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King
The King retrospective returns in December with a series of reviews based on the author’s short stories. First up, our hosts cover an eight-episode anthology from Nightmares & Dreamscapes that ran on TNT in 2006. The series includes “Crouch End,” “Umney’s Last Castle,” “The Road Virus Heads North,” and “The Fifth Quarter,” among other tales.
December 10 – Paranormal Activity 3
Now here’s a real prequel. The third Paranormal film takes us back to 1988, when home video cameras were BIG, and covers more of the demonic ties to the aforementioned sisters. The third film remains the most successful of the series, grossing $207 million during its theatrical run.
December 14 – Quicksilver Highway
This 1997 TV movie directed by Mick Garris combines elements of a King short story and a short story from Clive Barker. It’s got a great cast too, with Christopher Lloyd, Matt Frewer, Veronica Cartwright, Bill Nunn, and even cameos by Barker and Garris.
December 17 – Paranormal Activity 4
The fourth Paranormal brings the action back to the present, with a different family impacted by the same demonic forces that haunted Katie and Kristi. Like its predecessors, it was made for pennies, and like its predecessors, it made a fortune in theaters.
December 21 – Spider-Man: No Way Home
Though it is not based on a Stephen King short story, we can’t say what will and what won’t get thrown into the third MCU Spider-Man film. All we know is the villains from previous takes on the character are back, maybe the Spider-men from those films too. And maybe Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock again, just give us that one, please.
December 24 – Cats
This month’s Patron-supported episode was actually chosen by one of our hosts, Jakob. His “love” of the disastrous 2019 Cats adaptation will be released on Christmas Eve as a holiday treat for supporters. Jakob’s been readying himself for this review, watching previous Cats adaptations, learning about the different breeds, etc.
December 28 – Dolan’s Cadillac
Christian Slater and Wes Bentley starred in the 2009 adaptation of the King short story. This one ended up going straight to video in the U.S., though it did get an international theatrical release.
December 31 – The Matrix Resurrections
It’s been 18 years since Neo and Agent Smith fought their final battle over the fate of the Matrix. Now Keanu Reeves has long hair and a beard, and his shrink is Doogie Howser, and we’re trying hard not to speculate because that would ruin the fun. The Matrix Resurrections hits theaters and HBO Max in late December.
