On Unwatchables, we dive deep into the most controversial, disturbing, or just misunderstood films. From punishing art films to extreme horror to bizarre curiosities, Marc and Seth test their limits and try to pin down what separates the art from the trolling. At the end of each episode, we answer the same question: If you could, would you Unwatch this? Unwatchables is hosted by Marc Dottavio and Seth Troyer, produced by Tony Scarpitti, featuring artwork by Micah Kraus. Find us at unwatchablespod.com.
Film writer Devan Suber joins us for two oblique character studies about internet-warped minds and the technology they—we?—use to mediate reality. Antonio Campos' 2008 experimental drama AFTERSCHOOL and Pascal Plante's 2023 psychological thriller RED ROOMS may be from opposite ends of the internet era, but both are tapped into the urges that keep their deeply troubled protagonists online... even if we aren't so sure what those are. You can find more from Devan at https://letterboxd.com/cvance1/ Unwatchables is hosted by Marc Dottavio and Seth Troyer, produced by Tony Scarpitti, featuring artwork by Micah Kraus. Unwatchables Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unwatchables Discord: https://discord.gg/grrgTjspZ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unwatchablespod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnwatchablesPod Website: https://www.unwatchablespod.com Email: unwatchablespodcast@gmail.com
Today film critic Richard Lawson helps us take on the unwatchable franchise that followed from one of our most watchable classics. Steven Spielberg's JAWS is one of the most influential and enduring Hollywood blockbusters ever made, and its three sequels are... not. We take a look at what happened after Spielberg left: 1978's retread JAWS 2, 1983's Sea World-set JAWS 3-D, and 1987's bizarrely supernatural JAWS: THE REVENGE. You can find more from Richard at https://www.premiereparty.com/ Unwatchables is hosted by Marc Dottavio and Seth Troyer, produced by Tony Scarpitti, featuring artwork by Micah Kraus. Unwatchables Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unwatchables Discord: https://discord.gg/grrgTjspZ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unwatchablespod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnwatchablesPod Website: https://www.unwatchablespod.com Email: unwatchablespodcast@gmail.com
Today we welcome Chris Evangelista of SlashFilm.com for two recent experimental horror films that challenge our ideas of what a horror film even is. First up is Kyle Edward Ball's 2022 avant-garde creepfest SKINAMARINK, possibly the most un-commercial horror film ever to get a wide theatrical release. And not far behind it is Chris Nash's 2024 slasher IN A VIOLENT NATURE, a slow cinema splatter flick that asks: "What if FRIDAY THE 13TH was directed by Béla Tarr?" You can find more from Chris at https://www.slashfilm.com Unwatchables is hosted by Marc Dottavio and Seth Troyer, produced by Tony Scarpitti, featuring artwork by Micah Kraus. Unwatchables Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unwatchables Discord: https://discord.gg/grrgTjspZ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unwatchablespod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnwatchablesPod Website: https://www.unwatchablespod.com Email: unwatchablespodcast@gmail.com
Today we're joined by Ryan Verrill of Disc Connected Media to look back at two modern survival horror classics. Greg McLean's 2005 Australian horror film WOLF CREEK is one of the most notorious of the 2000's torture porn boom, featuring a small cast brutally fighting their way out of an isolated setting over one long night. That also describes Jeremy Saulnier's gruesome 2015 thriller GREEN ROOM, except in that case, the captives are a punk band and the bad guys a group of neo-Nazis lead by... Patrick Stewart? You can find more from Ryan at https://linktr.ee/discconnected Unwatchables is hosted by Marc Dottavio and Seth Troyer, produced by Tony Scarpitti, featuring artwork by Micah Kraus. Unwatchables Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unwatchables Discord: https://discord.gg/grrgTjspZ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unwatchablespod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnwatchablesPod Website: https://www.unwatchablespod.com Email: unwatchablespodcast@gmail.com
Big thanks to Akron's Nightlight Cinema for hosting the second live Unwatchables recording! We had a lively back-and-forth with the audience of a sold-out screening of HOWARD THE DUCK, the notorious 1986 flop that's since gained a cult following. We hear from some vocal defenders as we discuss what went wrong (or right?), why Cleveland looks so much like San Francisco, and what that duck nudity did to a generation of impressionable young brains. Unwatchables is hosted by Marc Dottavio and Seth Troyer, produced by Tony Scarpitti, featuring artwork by Micah Kraus. Unwatchables Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unwatchables Discord: https://discord.gg/grrgTjspZ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unwatchablespod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnwatchablesPod Website: https://www.unwatchablespod.com Email: unwatchablespodcast@gmail.com
Today Unwatchables tackles the most controversial hit of the year, a film about the one celebrity we can all agree on with nothing complicated whatsoever. We discuss our experience seeing Antoine Fuqua’s MICHAEL with a sold-out crowd, how it stacks up against other biopics, what its success tells us about our culture, and of course how it handles—or doesn’t handle—that other thing. Unwatchables is hosted by Marc Dottavio and Seth Troyer, produced by Tony Scarpitti, featuring artwork by Micah Kraus. Unwatchables Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unwatchables Discord: https://discord.gg/grrgTjspZ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unwatchablespod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnwatchablesPod Website: https://www.unwatchablespod.com Email: unwatchablespodcast@gmail.com
Film critic Jesse Hassenger stops by UNWATCHABLES for two movies about serial killers and the media that loves them. These blood-soaked satires stirred up controversy for their graphic violence and dark senses of humor when they were released two years apart in the 90’s: 1992’s black comedy mockumentary MAN BITES DOG, and Oliver Stone’s hyper-stylized 1994 crime film NATURAL BORN KILLERS. You can find more from Jesse at https://letterboxd.com/rockmarooned/ Unwatchables is hosted by Marc Dottavio and Seth Troyer, produced by Tony Scarpitti, featuring artwork by Micah Kraus. Unwatchables Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unwatchables Discord: https://discord.gg/grrgTjspZ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unwatchablespod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnwatchablesPod Website: https://www.unwatchablespod.com Email: unwatchablespodcast@gmail.com
In an UNWATCHABLES first, today’s episode captures our real-time reactions to 2025’s most gruesome documentary. In honor of our guest Roman Pessarov’s podcast CINEMA STROLLS, we finished watching Albert Serra’s bull-fighting doc AFTERNOONS OF SOLITUDE minutes before hitting record; we discuss the nature of first impressions, how much artistic merit can be found in two hours of animal torture, and why critics celebrated Serra’s stubbornly observational approach to the bloodshed. You can hear more from Roman on Cinema Strolls with Angel Radev and Noura Al Kadri here: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qMnZCAWiJl21BVZQXekmf And you can check out his short film here: https://youtu.be/pmOiWENP0EQ?is=ocktF3XB4s-Zfawd Unwatchables is hosted by Marc Dottavio and Seth Troyer, produced by Tony Scarpitti, featuring artwork by Micah Kraus. Unwatchables Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unwatchables Discord: https://discord.gg/grrgTjspZ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unwatchablespod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnwatchablesPod Website: https://www.unwatchablespod.com Email: unwatchablespodcast@gmail.com
Variety’s Guy Lodge returns to UNWATCHABLES for two films that faced similar controversies over their supposedly "irresponsible" use of child actors. Jonathan Glazer’s 2004 drama BIRTH made some viewers uncomfortable with certain scenes between Nicole Kidman and the ten-year-old boy claiming to be her character’s dead husband reincarnated. But that’s nothing compared to our other film, which was pulled from the Melbourne Film Festival over its story of a child android being abused by its owner: Sandra Wollner’s little-seen 2020 sci-fi provocation THE TROUBLE WITH BEING BORN. You can find more from Guy at https://variety.com/author/guy-lodge/ Unwatchables is hosted by Marc Dottavio and Seth Troyer, produced by Tony Scarpitti, featuring artwork by Micah Kraus. Unwatchables Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unwatchables Discord: https://discord.gg/grrgTjspZ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unwatchablespod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnwatchablesPod Website: https://www.unwatchablespod.com Email: unwatchablespodcast@gmail.com
UNWATCHABLES welcomes back film critic and author Nathan Rabin to discuss one of the most bizarre and reviled so-called comedies of the 90’s. Dan Akroyd’s first and to date only directorial effort was a big-budget bomb that asked the burning question, “what if Chevy Chase starred in THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE?” It may not have been a question audiences were interested in, but it resulted in something so strange and off-putting that some consider it a cult classic: 1991’s NOTHING BUT TROUBLE. Unwatchables is hosted by Marc Dottavio and Seth Troyer, produced by Tony Scarpitti, featuring artwork by Micah Kraus. Unwatchables Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unwatchables Discord: https://discord.gg/grrgTjspZ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unwatchablespod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnwatchablesPod Website: https://www.unwatchablespod.com Email: unwatchablespodcast@gmail.com
UNWATCHABLES kicks off Season 5 with our pre-Oscars special, where we ask the question: are these the worst Best Picture winners? Both of these films caused controversy when they unexpectedly took home the statue, and both happen to be white liberal filmmakers’ attempts at healing racism in America. What could go wrong? We’ll discuss the Oscars in general, why these films won, and if either of them is actually the most embarrassing movie ever celebrated by the Academy. The nominees are: Paul Haggis’ 2004 ensemble drama CRASH, and Peter Farrelly’s 2018 buddy road movie GREEN BOOK. Unwatchables is hosted by Marc Dottavio and Seth Troyer, produced by Tony Scarpitti, featuring artwork by Micah Kraus. Unwatchables Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unwatchables Discord: https://discord.gg/grrgTjspZ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unwatchablespod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnwatchablesPod Website: https://www.unwatchablespod.com Email: unwatchablespodcast@gmail.com
For today’s season finale, we're joined by author Caleb Bethea for possibly our longest-awaited episode. Ruggero Deodato's 1980 video nasty CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST is on the shortlist for the most controversial films ever made, from its onscreen animal cruelty to the widespread bans and obscenity charges following its release. We weigh in on whether it’s beneath or slightly above contempt, and how it looks next to a modern homage that tries recapturing that disgusting magic: Eli Roth's 2013 cannibal splatter film THE GREEN INFERNO. You can find Caleb's book at https://maudlinhouse.net/author/caleb-bethea/ Unwatchables is hosted by Marc Dottavio and Seth Troyer, produced by Tony Scarpitti, featuring artwork by Micah Kraus. Unwatchables Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unwatchables Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unwatchablespod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnwatchablesPod Website: https://www.unwatchablespod.com Email: unwatchablespodcast@gmail.com
Today we're joined by Anthony Crislip of Akron, Ohio's THE NIGHTLIGHT cinema for the vanity projects of the two most controversial broadcasters of the 90's. Both Howard Stern and Jerry Springer helped reinvent their respective mediums, whether for better or worse, but they only ventured onto the big screen once (and within one year of each other). We see if these *very* 90’s star vehicles are as unwatchable—or unlistenable--as the shows their stars hosted: Betty Thomas' 1997 Howard Stern biopic PRIVATE PARTS, and Neil Abramson's 1998 Jerry Springer comedy RINGMASTER. You can find out more about The Nightlight at https://nightlightcinema.com Unwatchables is hosted by Marc Dottavio and Seth Troyer, produced by Tony Scarpitti, featuring artwork by Micah Kraus. Unwatchables Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unwatchables Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unwatchablespod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnwatchablesPod Website: https://www.unwatchablespod.com Email: unwatchablespodcast@gmail.com
Today we're joined by cartoonist Nathan Gelgud to tackle the most polarizing and some might say Unwatchable period of a legendary filmmaker's career. Jean-Luc Godard was one of the leading figures of the French New Wave, at least until he abandoned narrative filmmaking for experimental political films that alienated much of his audience. We'll be looking at two films from this most controversial of eras: 1967's political docu-fiction LA CHINOISE, and 1969's avant-garde documentary BRITISH SOUNDS.You can find more from Nathan at https://nathangelgud.com/ Unwatchables is hosted by Marc Dottavio and Seth Troyer, produced by Tony Scarpitti, featuring artwork by Micah Kraus. Unwatchables Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unwatchables Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unwatchablespod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnwatchablesPod Website: https://www.unwatchablespod.com Email: unwatchablespodcast@gmail.com
UNWATCHABLES celebrates its 100th episode with film critic Mike D'Angelo, who joins us for two films about the ecstasy of agony. These movies are all about pain of the self-inflicted kind, one fiction and one non-fiction look at the line between self-harm and self-care: Kirby Dick's heart-rending, stomach-churning 1997 documentary SICK: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF BOB FLANAGAN, SUPERMASOCHIST, and Marina de Van's 2002 body-horror drama IN MY SKIN.You can find more from Mike at: https://letterboxd.com/gemko/ Unwatchables is hosted by Marc Dottavio and Seth Troyer, produced by Tony Scarpitti, featuring artwork by Micah Kraus. Unwatchables Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unwatchables Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unwatchablespod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnwatchablesPod Website: https://www.unwatchablespod.com Email: unwatchablespodcast@gmail.com
On today’s Halloween special, we’re joined by author and visual artist Christopher Norris for two films that are decidedly NOT The Exorcist. William Friedkin's 1973 phenomenon inspired plenty of imitators, but few rode its coattails as closely as these: 1974's Italian-made knock-off BEYOND THE DOOR—a minor hit that was sued for copyright infringement—and John Boorman's official, infamously reviled 1977 sequel EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC. You can find more from Chris, including his latest novel, at https://steakmtn.com/ Unwatchables is hosted by Marc Dottavio and Seth Troyer, produced by Tony Scarpitti, featuring artwork by Micah Kraus. Unwatchables Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unwatchables Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unwatchablespod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnwatchablesPod Website: https://www.unwatchablespod.com Email: unwatchablespodcast@gmail.com
Today UNWATCHABLES goes Down Under for two grim Australian thrillers with the help of film critic Laura Venning. These films faced controversy for their upsetting depictions of brutal violence—in one case, the unsimulated kind—but that's nothing compared to what they say about human nature: Ted Kotcheff's 1971 psychological thriller WAKE IN FRIGHT, and Jennifer Kent's 2018 revenge Western THE NIGHTINGALE.
Today we're joined by filmmaker/author Steven Bernstein for our tribute to intimacy coordinators, none of whom were present for these films. These painfully raw relationship dramas courted controversy not just for their explicit sex scenes, but also for the conditions under which they were shot: Bernardo Bertolucci's 1972 erotic drama LAST TANGO IN PARIS , and Abdellatif Kesheesh's 2013 Palme d'Or winner BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR . You can find Steven's new novel GRQ at: https://a.co/d/7CihqRx https://a.co/d/7CihqRx Unwatchables is hosted by Marc Dottavio and Seth Troyer, produced by Tony Scarpitti, featuring artwork by Micah Kraus. Unwatchables Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unwatchables Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unwatchablespod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnwatchablesPod Website: https://www.unwatchablespod.com Email: unwatchablespodcast@gmail.com
Hollywood has come a long way in depicting individuals with disabilities with candor and respect… these are not those films. Dr. Ethan Lyon joins us for two movies it’s hard to imagine getting made today, though they say a lot about changing ideas of representation and political correctness: Lars Von Trier’s 1998 dark comedy THE IDIOTS, and THE “Gary Oldman as a little person” movie, Matthew Bright’s 2002 romantic drama TIPTOES. You can find more from Ethan at https://letterboxd.com/dz1ga/ Unwatchables is hosted by Marc Dottavio and Seth Troyer, produced by Tony Scarpitti, featuring artwork by Micah Kraus. Unwatchables Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unwatchables Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unwatchablespod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnwatchablesPod Website: https://www.unwatchablespod.com Email: unwatchablespodcast@gmail.com
Today we’re joined by filmmaker Frank Ritz for what Freud would call our “Eros and Thanatos” episode. These two films blur the line between sex and death, including the rare look at necrophilia that’s… actually kind of sweet? The films are: Lynne Stopkewich's 1996 necrophiliac romance KISSED, and Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani's 2009 avant-garde giallo AMER.You can find more from Frank at https://letterboxd.com/frankritz/ Unwatchables is hosted by Marc Dottavio and Seth Troyer, produced by Tony Scarpitti, featuring artwork by Micah Kraus. Unwatchables Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unwatchables Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unwatchablespod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnwatchablesPod Website: https://www.unwatchablespod.com Email: unwatchablespodcast@gmail.com
