This pairing is what Jeff calls "The Myth of the Post-Apocalyptic Recovery," in that both films take place after an armageddon of sorts, when life has supposedly gotten back to an idyllic status quo. The first film in the pairing is a rarity on this podcast: A sequel! Only the third sequel reviewed thus far. It's 1970's budget-crippled "Beneath the Planet of the Apes." The film picks up at the final moments of the original, and follows Taylor (Charlton Heston) and Nova (Linda Harrison) as they head out into the wilds of the Forbidden Zone. After trying to confront something that could not possibly be, Taylor vanishes, and Nova stumbles upon Brent (James Franciscus), another astronaut who was part of the mission to find out what happened to Taylor and his comrades. Nova leads Brent to Cornelius (this time played by David Watson) and Zira (Kim Hunter), after which they escape capture and flee into the Forbidden Zone, only to find out there are other humans left alive as well, but not quite fully human any longer. An able attempt by director Ted Post, which would likely have been better had the studio not cut their production budget in half!

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We have to move ahead 27 years to find our other Stephen King adaptation, which also turns out to be about a hotel, but this time is not about the hotel itself, but a specific room IN the hotel, a room that has been blamed for over 50 deaths. In 2007's "1408," director Mikael Håfström spins a tale based on a King short story about another writer, Mike Enslin (John Cusack) who, despondent over the death of his daughter Katie (Jasmine Jessica Anthony), has abandoned his wife Lily (Mary McCormack) and his aging father (Len Cariou) to begin writing books which debunk the idea of spirits and hauntings. When he receives a postcard warning him not to enter room 1408 at the Dolphin hotel in New York, he reluctantly returns to the city he lived in before with his family, and goes to the hotel. The manager of the hotel, Gerald Olin (Samuel L. Jackson) tries his best to dissuate Mike from staying in the room, but in the end Mike's stubbornness wins out and he enters the killer room. What happens then is a slowly-evolving nightmare based in the room's inherent evil and Mike's tortured spirit! Plus, the trio disclose which two films they'll be reviewing for a pairing Jeff calls "The Myth of the Post-Apocalyptic Recovery!"

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We dedicate this pairing to how difficult it seems to be to successfully adapt a Stephen King story for the big screen! We've chosen two examples of when it's been done right, starting with the Stanley Kubrick-directed horror classic, 1980's "The Shining!" Based on the King novel with a screenplay written by Kubrick and Diane Johnson, this film is a tour de force of how to make a movie audiences will love and the author will hate. The film stars Jack Nicholson as writer Jack Torrence. He's looking for a job while he's working on his novel and chooses winter caretaker of the Overlook Hotel in Colorado. He travels there with his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and his son Danny (Danny Lloyd). There, they meet Dick Hallorann (Scatman Crothers), who immediately connects with Danny on the basis of their shared psychic gift. He warns Danny that the Overlook is a place he must be careful in, and it turns out to be prophecy as the hotel reveals its ghostly spirits, along with the alcoholic variety as well, as it begins to warp Jack from a devoted family man into a homicidal maniac! One of the films most likely to be found on any top horror list anywhere!

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The second film in our pairing celebrating the great city of Chicago is a true American classic, and absolutely deserving of being included on this podcast! From the last film, we move ahead six years to 1986 and the John Hughes-directed hit film that is "Ferris Bueller's Day Off!" The story follows young Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) as he attempts to finagle his 9th sickday during his senior year of high school. After rousting his somewhat hypocondriacal friend Cameron Frye (Alan Ruck) and convincing him to come over, they hatch a scheme to spring Ferris' girlfriend Sloane Peterson (the stunning Mia Sara) from class. They run afoul, however, of the Dean of Students Ed Rooney and his somewhat vapid secretary Grace (Edie McClurg). The charming trickster and his friends navigate the Chicago landscape throughout the day, dodging repeated attempts by Rooney to catch him. This film is beloved by people of all generations and the topic of frequent questions as to why we haven't reviewed it yet, so we are fixing that now! Plus, the trio reveal which Stephen King books-made-films they've chosen for the next pairing!

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