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Welcome to Kicking the Seat!

Ian Simmons launched Kicking the Seat in 2009, one week after seeing Nora Ephron’s Julie & Julia. His wife proposed blogging as a healthier outlet for his anger than red-faced, twenty-minute tirades (Ian is no longer allowed to drive home from the movies).

The Kicking the Seat Podcast followed three years later and, despite its “undiscovered gem” status, Ian thoroughly enjoys hosting film critic discussions, creating themed shows, and interviewing such luminaries as Gaspar NoéRachel BrosnahanAmy Seimetz, and Richard Dreyfuss.

Ian is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association. He also has a family, a day job, and conflicted feelings about referring to himself in the third person.

Ep277: Permanent Vacation

Today, the Kicking the Seat Podcast celebrates Black Friday with some black magic! Yes, Ian welcomes back Aaron Christensen of Horror 101 with Dr. A.C. to talk about Wes Craven's 1978 TV thriller, Summer of Fear, out now from Doppelganger Releasing!

How does this safe-for-general-consumption story of a witch moving in with an unsuspecting suburban family stack up to the director's previous hardcore-horror work, and the iconic films he would create in the ensuing decades? Is Linda Blair actually a not-so-great actress? And how many times can Ian get a character's name wrong in one introduction?

Listen in and find out. Plus, Ian reminds you about the perfect way to spend this holiday weekend: with the Tragedy Girls!

Episode 277 is under the spell of bad 70s hair!

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Ep278: We Could Be Heroes

Ep276: Late Screening: I've Been with Del Griffith!