Absentia
Summary
Hosts Alison Leiby and Halle Kiefer discuss current events, including Trump's branding controversies and John Wilson's new documentary, before ruining Mike Flanagan's 2011 debut, *Absentia*. They analyze the film's plot involving a pregnant woman whose missing husband returns as a terrifying apparition, while also exploring the mysterious activities of a giant man in a pedestrian tunnel.
Topics discussed
Intro and welcome to Ruined
News: Trump and Ford's Theater
TikTok song about Zoran Mandani
Discussion of a new film's message
Making art and going to the movies
Excitement for a day-one movie release
Mike Flanagan's career and Hill House
First impressions of Absentia trailer
Critique of horror tropes
Pregnancy and horror themes
Sponsor: Hers Health
Film opening: Doug Jones and tunnel
Character intros: Trish and Callie
Trish's pregnancy and reunion
The missing husband and troll imagery
Discussing the missing spouse
Removing photos and death in absentia
Burning missing posters
Theories on Daniel's disappearance
Moving on and Trish's recovery
Reactions to a scary scene
Sponsor: Patrick Picklebottom
Nighttime shuffling and paranoia
The nightmare and waking up
Running through the tunnel
The man in the tunnel
Casting and representation in the film
Detective Mallory's concern
Callie's drug use and tupperware
The phantom husband in bed
Therapy session and grief
The trinket and the tunnel
Signing the death certificate
Trinkets in the bed and police
Callie's drug use and packing
Trish and Mallory's date
Daniel's return in the street
Daniel at the hospital
Daniel's condition and trauma
Questioning Daniel
Callie and Daniel's conversation
Callie's isolation and Mallory
The Billy Goats Gruff book
The insect demon entity
Trish and Daniel's reconciliation
Moving away from the tunnel
Sponsor: Wedlocked audiobook
Foley sound effects critique
Daniel dragged into the wall
Filing another missing report
Trish's distrust of Callie
The Missing Persons website
Historical disappearances
Theories on the entity
Atoms and the solid world
Jamie and the live dog
Victim souls and church doctrine
The insect face in the dark
Callie's drug test and missing report
Callie's sacrifice in the tunnel
Mallory's discovery and case status
The ambiguous ending
Critique of the ending
The moral of the story
Spooky scale rating
Final thoughts on the film
Outro and social media links
Sponsor: Moms and Mysteries
Sponsor: Geek and Sundry
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