Hack or Slash - A Horror Movie Review Podcast

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This week we’re reviewing Buddy (2026). We dissect its collision of ’90s children’s television and graphic horror, explore Buddy’s need for love as a form of control, and praise Keegan-Michael Key’s emotional range. This episode contains spoilers, beginning at 25:33.
Mentioned in the Episode
Watch the Movie
⁠Buddy (2026)
Main Episode
⁠Casper Kelly dives into the darkness of kids’ television with ‘Buddy’
⁠The Black List Interview: Casper Kelly on BUDDY
⁠Child’s Play (2019)
⁠The Banana Splits Movie (2019)
⁠The Wizard of Oz (1939)
B-side
⁠Barney & Friends
⁠Teletubbies
⁠Blue’s Clues
⁠Pee-wee’s Playhouse
⁠Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood
⁠Sesame Street
⁠Gullah Gullah Island
⁠The Puzzle Place
⁠Dora the Explorer
⁠Zoboomafoo
⁠The Big Comfy Couch
⁠Bear in the Big Blue House
⁠The Wiggles
⁠Thomas & Friends
⁠Care Bears
⁠ALF
⁠Clifford the Big Red Dog
⁠If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
⁠Peter Rabbit
Support the show
Thanks for listening to Hack or Slash! Want more from the show? 
Join us on Patreon for extended episodes, bonus reviews, B-sides, watchalongs, behind-the-scenes extras, and more ways to help keep the show alive and slashing.
Support us on Patreon
You can also hang out with us between episodes in our community spaces. Join the Discord for watch parties, episode discussions, horror recommendations, and general spooky nonsense.
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Have thoughts on this week’s movie? Leave a comment, send us a voicemail, or tag us online. We love hearing your thoughts on the movies we cover.
Happy slashing!
Music Credits: "Hack or Slash" by Daniel Stapleton

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This week we’re building the ’90s Horror Kid Starter Pack. We revisit the movies that scared us too young, retrace the video-store rituals that shaped our tastes, and celebrate the books, television, games, and toys that made horror feel like a childhood lifestyle. 
Support the show
Thanks for listening to Hack or Slash! Want more from the show? 
Join us on Patreon for extended episodes, bonus reviews, B-sides, watchalongs, behind-the-scenes extras, and more ways to help keep the show alive and slashing.
Support us on Patreon
You can also hang out with us between episodes in our community spaces. Join the Discord for watch parties, episode discussions, horror recommendations, and general spooky nonsense.
Join our Discord
Follow Hack or Slash:
Website
YouTube
Reddit
Instagram
TikTok
Have thoughts on this week’s movie? Leave a comment, send us a voicemail, or tag us online. We love hearing your thoughts on the movies we cover.
Happy slashing!
Music Credits: "Hack or Slash" by Daniel Stapleton

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This week we’re unpacking our first impressions of Halloween: The Game (2026). We examine how Haddonfield captures the atmosphere of the original film, dissect how playing Michael and the civilians reshapes the asymmetrical horror formula, and assess how Michael’s story expands the events of Halloween. We also weigh the game’s launch-week bugs, controversial closet mechanic, and long-term potential as the community learns how to play.
Mentioned in the Episode
Halloween (1978)
461: Halloween: The Game | Pre-launch Preview (2026)
Halloween: Everything You Need to Know About IllFonic’s New Horror Game Starring Michael Myers
IllFonic Pulls Halloween: The Game’s Closet Minigame After “Major Oversight”
Dead by Daylight
Halloween: The Game — Story Mode
Support the show
Thanks for listening to Hack or Slash! Want more from the show? 
Join us on Patreon for extended episodes, bonus reviews, B-sides, watchalongs, behind-the-scenes extras, and more ways to help keep the show alive and slashing.
Support us on Patreon
You can also hang out with us between episodes in our community spaces. Join the Discord for watch parties, episode discussions, horror recommendations, and general spooky nonsense.
Join our Discord
Follow Hack or Slash:
Website
YouTube
Reddit
Instagram
TikTok
Have thoughts on this week’s movie? Leave a comment, send us a voicemail, or tag us online. We love hearing your thoughts on the movies we cover.
Happy slashing!
Music Credits: "Hack or Slash" by Daniel Stapleton

Send us Fan Mail
This week we’re previewing Halloween: The Game (2026). We unpack IllFonic’s approach to single-player and asymmetrical horror, explore how the game recreates Haddonfield and Michael Myers, and assess whether its customization and gameplay systems can give the experience lasting power.
Mentioned in the Episode
Watch the Day 1 Gameplay Live Stream
Halloween: The Game
Related Episodes
179: Halloween Kills (2021)
242: Resident Evil (2002)
315: Silent Hill (2006)
325: Silent Hill: Revelation (2012)
020: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Main Episode
Halloween (1978)
Nick Castle Talks Halloween
Halloween: The Game Launch and Early Access
Halloween: The Game — Official News and Updates
Friday the 13th: The Game
Predator: Hunting Grounds
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed
Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Dead by Daylight
Phasmophobia
Hack or Slash YouTube
Hack or Slash Patreon
Hack or Slash Discord
Support the show
Support the show
Thanks for listening to Hack or Slash! Want more from the show? 
Join us on Patreon for extended episodes, bonus reviews, B-sides, watchalongs, behind-the-scenes extras, and more ways to help keep the show alive and slashing.
Support us on Patreon
You can also hang out with us between episodes in our community spaces. Join the Discord for watch parties, episode discussions, horror recommendations, and general spooky nonsense.
Join our Discord
Follow Hack or Slash:
Website
YouTube
Reddit
Instagram
TikTok
Have thoughts on this week’s movie? Leave a comment, send us a voicemail, or tag us online. We love hearing your thoughts on the movies we cover.
Happy slashing!
Music Credits: "Hack or Slash" by Daniel Stapleton

Send us Fan Mail
This week we’re previewing Spooky Season 2026. We revisit the horror memories that shaped us, preview the movies and franchises returning to our lineup, and unpack our plans for Halloween: The Game and Crystal Lake. We also spotlight our community’s 31 Days of Horror themes, and share the spooky-season reviews we’re anticipating most.
Support the show
Thanks for listening to Hack or Slash! Want more from the show? 
Join us on Patreon for extended episodes, bonus reviews, B-sides, watchalongs, behind-the-scenes extras, and more ways to help keep the show alive and slashing.
Support us on Patreon
You can also hang out with us between episodes in our community spaces. Join the Discord for watch parties, episode discussions, horror recommendations, and general spooky nonsense.
Join our Discord
Follow Hack or Slash:
Website
YouTube
Reddit
Instagram
TikTok
Have thoughts on this week’s movie? Leave a comment, send us a voicemail, or tag us online. We love hearing your thoughts on the movies we cover.
Happy slashing!
Music Credits: "Hack or Slash" by Daniel Stapleton