The Last Podcast

There’s been a fair few horror film satires on the greed, arrogance of podcasters, vloggers and the like in recent years. Most have been down on the whole thing casting the protagonists as shallow chancers.

The Last Podcast doesn’t propose to mess to much with the format having ultra-slick, very clever Charlie (Eric Tabach) and his podcast ‘ParaNormalcy’ which he uses to debunk and ridicule those that believe, while flogging hats and asking for patronage. He’s countered by rival Jasper (Charlie Saxton) whose podcast is the complete opposite.

But Charlie is stuck in the sense that all he has is his wits to challenge the believers, he wants scientific evidence. Here’s where fungal expert and academic Duncan (Gabriel Rush) comes into the story. He has a science background but nothing to do with the supernatural.

He invites Charlie to his lab where he proposes to prove ghosts don’t exist. His logic is that he and his fiancé were fiercely in love and when she was killed by a driver, the fact that she didn’t appear to him is proof enough that ghosts don’t exist. Charlie is at first bewildered, then horrified that to prove his point Duncan shoots himself live on air, stating that he won’t appear to Charlie.

This has a double edge for Charlie as the clip goes viral getting him loads of publicity but horrifying his girlfriend Brie (Kaikane) who orders him to delete the video.

However Duncan does appear to Charlie and offers to help him with advice of where people can find their valuable items. It’s a success getting Charlie the money and fame he so craves with other offers coming in too.

There is however a catch as Duncan is still very much in love with his dead fiancé and looking for vengeance. As luck would have it they run into the perpetrator in a bar and a plan is hatched.

Writer and director Dean Alioto slickly dices the egos and ethics of a certain type of podcaster here. Charlie and rival Jasper are clearly very smart but obnoxious individuals whose raison d’etre is money and fame. Their egos launched into the stratosphere by the shallowness of thumbs and emojis.

However you get the feeling that Alioto is primarily interested in getting a few laughs here rather than scoring points. The smart script provides plenty for the cast to work with and Tabach, is on fine form, taking full advantage of this even though his main foil can’t speak and is falling apart.

The Last Podcast had its world premiere at London Pigeon Shrine FrightFest, 23 August 2024.