This month, host Kyle Olson takes listeners on a chilling journey through the British Isles with a trio of alien invasion films. Joined by panelists Tommy Metz III, Kynan Dias, and Pete Wright, the group explores the 2012 Irish horror-comedy "Grabbers," along with "Attack the Block" and "The World's End."
The discussion begins with "Grabbers," a lesser-known gem that surprised the panel with its impressive creature effects and charming drunk-acting from its lead actress. The hosts delve into the film's unique premise: a small Irish town must get intoxicated to survive an alien attack.
As the conversation unfolds, the panel examines what makes these films distinctly British, from their focus on tight-knit communities to their reluctance to call in outside help. They note the underlying theme of existential hopelessness that permeates British comedy and how it manifests in these alien invasion narratives.
The hosts also touch on the cultural significance of pubs in British and Irish society, and how these films use them as central locations for both community gathering and monster-fighting.
With a blend of humor and insight, this episode of Sitting in the Dark offers listeners a deep dive into the world of British alien invasion films, proving that sometimes the best defense against otherworldly threats is a pint and a close-knit community.
Film Sundries
- Watch the movies discussed:
- (00:00) - Welcome to Sitting in the Dark
- (04:55) - Grabbers
- (15:44) - But what makes it British?
- (26:59) - Attack the Block
- (47:37) - The World's End
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What is Sitting in the Dark?
Sitting in the Dark is a podcast about horror, but not the kind that hides in a single shadow. Each month, hosts Tommy Metz III, Kynan Dias, and Pete Wright pick a theme — an idea, a trope, a nightmare that keeps winding back — and explore it through three films that share its DNA. Sometimes the connections are obvious, sometimes they’re unexpected, and sometimes they lead you deeper into the maze than you expected to go.
One month might bring The Drac Pack, three wildly different takes on cinema’s most famous vampire. Another, a journey through The Bride, the Boy, and the Firetruck, unpacking coded queer horror across decades. We’ve explored maternal terror in Mommy Acts This Way Because She Loves You, broken into the home-invasion subgenre, tiptoed through haunted houses, and stared down both classic monsters and blockbuster franchises.
What ties it all together is a love of horror as a labyrinth — a twisting path where every turn reveals something new about our fears, desires, and cultural obsessions. With smart conversation, dark humor, and a willingness to look behind the curtain (or under the bed), Sitting in the Dark invites you to settle in, turn down the lights, and find out what connects the nightmares.