A MARTÍNEZ, BYLINE: These days, it seems like there's always a terrifying movie raking in cash at the theaters. Right now, it's a sequel to "Five Nights At Freddy's" about killer animatronics at a pizza restaurant.
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UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) Show time.
MARTÍNEZ: Before that, it was a sequel to "The Conjuring" franchise. Then there was "Weapons" and this year's top-grossing horror movie, "Sinners." Scary movies have been a growing share of the box office in recent years. So Glen Weldon is here to talk about this year's standouts. He's co-host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast. Hey, Glen. So an observation here. I mean, horror hits seem to be split into a couple of major categories - the big franchises, and then the original stories. So were you surprised that original titles such as "Sinners" and "Weapons" did so well this year?
GLEN WELDON, BYLINE: Yeah, pleasantly surprised, actually. So studios are really nervous right now, and they're reluctant to spend money. So they spend money on franchises, which get butts and seats. That's why they're franchises. So it's great to see them taking a risk on stories like "Sinners" and "Weapons." But to be fair, those directors, Ryan Coogler and Zach Cregger, they've both made hits before - that loosens the purse strings - but they also bring a more personal, more idiosyncratic vision to their stuff than the franchises can or do, and it's always nice to be reassured that that can still happen.
MARTÍNEZ: So we're heading into a Hollywood award season. The Oscars historically have not been very keen on handing out prizes to scary movies. So do you think that might change this time around?
WELDON: I mean, I wouldn't hold your breath for, like, "Five Nights At Freddy's 2" to sweep the night...
MARTÍNEZ: (Laughter).
WELDON: ...But both "Sinners" and "Weapons" have a serious shot. I mean, "Sinners" has the potential to make history, too, if Coogler wins for direction because it's 2025 and no Black filmmaker has won in that category ever before. But Coogler famously declined an invitation to join the academy back in 2016, so who knows how that's going to factor into things? Depends on how petty, you know, how affronted the academy of voters are feeling in the moment. But I certainly hope Amy Madigan gets nominated for "Weapons" because she plays Aunt Gladys in that movie. That's a character that doesn't really show up until a good way into the film. But when she does, man, she bends the movie around her. She's out here making choices, and big swings like hers should be rewarded, I think.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah, quite different from her role in "Field Of Dreams" back a long time ago, yeah. OK, now, you got your finger on the pulse of creepy titles. So what scary movies would you recommend from this year that maybe haven't gotten their due?
WELDON: I mean, I see a lot of movies, right? That's my job. So I was - like the ones that play with the format, tweak expectations. Three of my favorite examples of that this year told stories from different perspectives. "Dust Bunny" is in theaters now. That's told from the perspective of a young girl who hires a hitman to kill the monster living under her bed. I'd say that one's more dark and whimsical than really scary, but it's got a great look, and it's got Sigourney Weaver, and that's all I need, man. "Presence" is a Steven Soderbergh film that's about a haunted house, but it's told from the perspective of the ghost who's doing the haunting.
But the one that I cannot shake is called "Good Boy." This is a tiny independent film told from the perspective of a dog, a very nervous dog whose owner takes him to live in a house in the woods, and he starts seeing things his owner doesn't. That hit me because I live in a house in the woods, and I have a dog, and he is constantly just, you know, staring into the corner of the room for no reason or running to the window at night to bark at nothing or what I hope is nothing. This is a moody film. It's creepy. I'm a sucker for the performance of this dog, man. He's named Indy. It's such a great, soulful performance. He may not get an Oscar for it, but I hope he gets all the scritches he wants 'cause he deserves it.
MARTÍNEZ: I spoke to Indy and his human at NPR West. They came out. I gave him...
WELDON: Yeah, you did.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. I gave an NPR scarf, which he wore proudly.
WELDON: (Laughter).
MARTÍNEZ: That's Glen Weldon. He hosts NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast. Glen, thanks a lot.
WELDON: Thank you.
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GEORGE CLINTON: (Singing) Bow-wow-wow, yippie-yo, yippie-yay. Bow-wow-wow, yippie-yo, yippie-yay. Bow-wow-wow, yippie-yo, yippie-yay. Bow-wow, yippie-yo, yippie-yay. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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