This week we’re eating the rich with two new horror films that share devilishly similar premises: Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come and They Will Kill You both feature women fighting back against satanic cults run by rich elites in order to protect an estranged younger sister, written with wry humor aimed at the ultra-wealthy. Neither film did particularly well critically or at the box office, but they raise a fascinating question for Critical Darlings: Has the Trump-era social satire horror film finally run out of steam? In this episode, Richard and Alison trace this specific strain of metaphor-driven social horror, deconstruct it, and try to distinguish it from socially aware classics like Rosemary’s Baby. From racial allegories like Get Out, the trauma-informed The Babadook, class satires like The Menu, and alternate-reality anthology TV like Black Mirror, we ask why the recent crop of these types of movies are starting to feel so creaky, while less directly metaphorical films like Weapons feel more fresh. Next week, we’re trading our cult robes for overalls as we hop on a Launch Star and blast off with our best friends Mario, Luigi, and of course Birdo, to orbit The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.'

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