Welcome to Shoot The Hostage with Sarah & Dan - the movie podcast where we pick one movie at a time and take a deep dive into anything and everything we can.
Each season, we dive into a new theme which we take turns in choosing. We tend to choose a diverse pick of films for each season, trying our best to cover different genres & themes.
If you’re in the market for a movie podcast with hosts that don’t take themselves too seriously and love films just as much as you, then head over. Take your shoes off and come on in.
We have returned from the ashes for season 17 and to kick off Sarah’s “After Death” theme, we’re covering Danny and Michael Phillippou’s 2022 breakout hit, Talk to Me.
Forget about boring old films with a séance where people quietly hold hands around a candlelit table, this movie flips the genre on its head by turning supernatural contact into a viral party game. We give a massive hand to director brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, who levelled up from RackaRacka Youtubers to masterminds of modern Australian horror. Set against the backdrop of South Australia, it effortlessly stands out among the most haunting Adelaide movies ever made, warning foolish teenagers against conjuring spirits through a ceramic-clad embalmed arm.
Whether you’re a hardcore fan of possession movies or just looking for a genuinely creepy movie that will leave you clutching your sofa, Talk to Me delivers pure visceral horror while redefining what a truly terrifying possession film can accomplish. So let the spirit in, keep it under 50 seconds, and listen in!
What to expect from the episode:
Sarah reveals why she picked the theme “After Death” for season 17 and how revisiting the film hit differently this time.
Dan confesses he forgot almost the entire plot since seeing it at the cinema, making this feel like a first-time watch.
We complain about DVD pricing structure and the baffling decision to put a trailer for Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey on the Blu-ray.
We shower praise on YouTube creators Danny and Michael Philippou for transitioning from RackaRacka to directing a low-budget modern horror.
We celebrate the phenomenal performances of Sophie Wilde and Joe Bird alongside stellar supporting turns from Miranda Otto and Zoe Terakes.
We discuss how immersive the single-shot opening sequence is and the lightning-fast 60-minute filming of the chaotic possession montage.
Sarah and Dan analyse the tragic symbolism of the yellow jumper, dead kangaroos on dark road and ghost hands.
We explore whether the hand is a metaphor for peer pressure, grief, teenage isolation, or Mark Zuckerberg’s unwanted grip on society.
This season has eight episodes, concluding December 7th!
Would you like to see the full lineup for season 17? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don’t need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup.
If you’re a fan of the show and want more content, check out our £3.00 a month tier on Patreon where we release our end of season wrap shows and 2 reviews of brand new movies every month. Plus you’ll get access to our back catalogue from 2023 onwards.
Enjoy the show but can’t support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you’re reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven’t given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It’s easy.
If you’ve done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.
Or come find us on social media:
Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube
12 Oct 2026
Jurassic World: Rebirth
Before the new season begins next week, we’re excavating a prehistoric relic straight from our Patreon archive to keep your ears fed between seasons. We chose to dig up this bonus review for the main feed because it fits seamlessly alongside our last season, “Size Doesn’t Matter” and what’s bigger or more needlessly oversized than a Jurassic Park movie.
In this episode, we take a giant bite out of Jurassic World: Rebirth (or Afterbirth, as Dan calls it), dissecting whether Scarlett Johansson’s gun-toting mercenary, Mahershala Ali’s criminally underused sidekick, Jonathan Bailey’s dinosaur enthusiast, and Ruper Friend’s suit can save a script that feels more recycled than a parody of that scene from When Harry Met Sally.
What to expect from this episode:
Dan and Sarah debate whether Sarah would even know what a dinosaur looks like if she hadn’t seen Jurassic Park or if she’d assume they looked like handkerchiefs.
A thorough breakdown of whether Jurassic World Rebirth is somehow inferior to the 1994 cult masterpiece Tammy and the T-Rex.
Dan puts forth his conspiracy theory that Jurassic World Dominion was so atrocious it is directly responsible for modern geopolitics and that Chris Pratt is patient zero.
Sarah points out the bizarre franchise trope that every palaeontologist in existence had to be knighted by Dr. Alan Grant.
Dan identifies a massive plot hole involving a bespectacled gentleman.
A complete derailment into Vin Diesel’s plans to digitally resurrect Paul Walker for Fast 11 and whether Dan would allow his CGI corpse to star in a movie for £100 million.
We shall return!
On October 19th we’re back with a brand new season. This time chosen by Sarah. The new theme is ”After Death” and the first film we’re looking at is Talk to Me (2022).
Would you like to see the full lineup for season 17? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don’t need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup when it drops any day now.
Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube
5 Oct 2026
Best of "Size Doesn't Matter" Season
In this season roundup, we dive headfirst into all things scale-related for the last time as we revisit some of our favourite moments from Dan’s “Size Doesn’t Matter” season.
In this roundup, we shrink our expectation and scale up the chaos:
We dissect Hank Pym’s fake science in Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man, celebrating Corey Stoll’s massive floating face in Quantumania and Judy Greer’s three-scene mother routine.
We marvel at Bong Joon-ho’s The Host, where crew members threw heavy barrels into the river just to perfect CGI creature splash physics.
Sarah explains how watching Gary Oldman in Tiptoes aggravated her jaw disorder, leading straight into an unhinged John Travolta tangent.
We pit Brad Dourif’s maniacal Child’s Play laugh against horror icons and roast Andy’s chaotic 6:30am birthday breakfast.
We pitch recasting Sam Neill and Laura Dern in Jurassic Park 3 with Pauly Shore, mock the talking raptor, and expose a failed 2001 burner phone promo.
Director Joe Dante gets his due across Gremlins 2 and Innerspace while Tim Thomerson plays a small angry man chasing a floating head.
We shall return!
On October 19th we’re back with a brand new season. This time chosen by Sarh. The new theme is ”After Death” and the first film we’re looking at is Talk to Me (2022).
Would you like to see the full lineup for season 17? The only place you can see it is on Patreon but you don’t need to be a paying member. Sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup when it drops any day now.
Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
8,989
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
24 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 62 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
66
Social presence
0
YouTube
68
Engagement
77
Contact Shoot The Hostage
Guest appearances
Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about Shoot The Hostage
Who hosts Shoot The Hostage?
Dan and Sarah and The hosts host the show. Published by Shoot The Hostage Podcast.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does Shoot The Hostage take guests?
The show does not typically feature guests, based on episode analyses.
Host of Shoot The Hostage?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
